Construction worker hurt in fall Jan. 26, 2003 Post-Tribune staff report CENTER TWP.— A construction worker is still listed in serious condition a day after falling 35 feet Friday while working on a multi-unit building in the Aberdeen subdivision. Oscar Sauceda, 44, of Lake Station fell onto a concrete sidewalk while working at the building on South Marcliffe. Sauceda was taken to Porter Memorial Hospital and is still being held there. Valparaiso firefighters said another man working on the ground suffered minor injuries from falling objects. Police officers covered Sauceda with coats and blankets to keep him warm until an ambulance could find the accident site.
UPDATE Safety scrutinized in November construction death By EILEEN ZAFFIRO Staff Writer Jan 25, 11:49 PM DAYTONA BEACH -- A crumbling wreath of flowers and a goodbye scrawled on weathered paper defied the ocean wind for weeks, clinging to an elevator shaft where 23-year-old Florencio Mendoza was crushed from the waist down in November. endoza's weekend was an hour away the Friday afternoon he slipped off the top of an elevator, became entangled in a metal tower and was pinned beneath a multi-ton counterweight for 20 minutes. Doctors fought to save the construction worker, but he died three days later. In the weeks since the fatal Nov. 15 accident at the Ocean Walk Resort North high-rise, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration has been trying to figure out why the DeLeon Springs man fell. It's not the first time OSHA has investigated the two companies in charge of the 25-story time share project for fall-related problems. Together, the two companies have racked up at least 57 fall violations and have been fined $60,000 over the years. A Daytona Beach News-Journal analysis of OSHA records showed Welbro Building Corp., a 24-year-old company based in Maitland, has been cited at least 21 times since 1984 for fall-related violations at its Florida work sites. Welbro, which also has a South Carolina office, has been fined about $30,000 over the past two decades for fall-related problems, including one $18,700 fine for a repeat handrail violation. Foley and Associates Construction Co., a 28-year-old Daytona Beach-based business that is Volusia County's largest general contractor, has been cited by OSHA at least 36 times since 1975 for fall-related violations at its Florida work sites. Foley also was fined at least $30,000 over the years for conditions that created a danger of falls, according to OSHA records. Both companies' citations, most of which were not spurred by accidents, were for such violations as failing to provide fall protection, deficiencies in guardrails and scaffolds and dangerous openings in floors and walls. James Borders, area director for the OSHA office that covers Volusia County, said both companies' tallies sound like more than the accumulation of routine slip-ups. "To me, they appear high," said Borders, who is based in Jacksonville and has been with OSHA since 1975. "But that's just a comment from the gut." A search of some other companies' records might turn up similar results, Borders said, but added, "Companies should not have to be cited that many times for fall-related problems." Luis Santiago, area director for OSHA's Fort Lauderdale office, said, "If any company had five or six violations of fall problems in a five- to 10-year period, it would concern me." Welbro and Foley's fall citation totals also sound high to Mike Williams, state president of Florida Building Trades. "But that doesn't mean those companies are any worse than the one next door," Williams said. "They just got caught." Both Welbro and Foley vehemently defend their safety practices, and point to their successes. Welbro has built a major hotel, sports complex and school buildings in Orlando, while Foley helped build the Justice Center on Ridgewood Avenue, Daytona USA, parts of Stetson University and the Hilton Garden Inn near the Daytona Beach airport. "We continue to strive to do the best we can in a fragile world," said Foley President and CEO Arthur Simpson. All building contractors wind up with some fall protection violations, said Bruce Holmes, executive vice president of Welbro, Mendoza's employer. Considering Welbro has been inspected about 140 times over the years, getting slapped with 21 fall-related violations is not so deplorable, Holmes said. "A work site is a very dynamic place," he said. "You can have all safety barricades in place, and 20 minutes later someone can move one and you're in violation. It's not an unnecessary standard, but it's a tough standard." Officials at the North Atlantic Avenue construction site say no one witnessed Mendoza falling as he greased parts of the hoist, which was carrying people from floor to floor as he worked. It's still not known exactly how the Mexican native's 6-foot safety strap failed to keep him on top of the elevator he was in charge of operating and maintaining. A site supervisor said OSHA inspectors "didn't find any discrepancies in the building or the hoists," which have been back in use for about seven weeks. On the day of the accident, there was speculation that the counterweights broke, but that theory has not been confirmed. Project leaders say they're sincerely baffled. "It's an unusual occurrence unprecedented in our careers," Holmes said. "We've never had a death of a worker. We're rather traumatized by this." About 10 years ago a man working on a Welbro project was killed by electrocution, but he worked for a subcontractor, Holmes said. Foley has also lost only one other worker on a past job site, a man who was killed by a lightning strike several years ago, corporate officials said. "I'm as mystified as anyone," Simpson said. "We're still in shock about this."
Wentworth worker is hurt in fall By Christine Gillette NEW CASTLE - A worker on the renovation of the Wentworth by the Sea Hotel in New Castle was injured when he fell from the fourth floor. The worker fell either through a window or an opening in the wall of the hotel’s fourth floor last Friday, according to the Occupational Health and Safety Administration, which is investigating the accident. The worker was injured in the fall, but not fatally, according to OSHA and others with information on the incident who did not wish to be identified. The construction worker is an employee of Court Con, a general contracting arm of Ocean Properties, which owns the hotel and is renovating it to be reopened later this year. Ocean Properties refused to comment on the job-site accident. Neither Ocean Properties, nor New Castle police would release the identity of the injured worker. Information on his condition was not available, although he reportedly sustained leg injuries in the fall. OSHA’s investigation is expected to continue until at least Monday, according to Paul O’Connell, acting OSHA area director for New Hampshire. "When that’s done then we’ll have to put all the facts together and if it’s appropriate, if there have been some OSHA standards violated then we could issue some citations to the employer," O’Connell said.
Tank Explosion: Three Killed in Lagos By Chris Anucha No fewer than three persons died from a tank explosion in a building on Victoria Island Annex Extension, Lagos on Thursday night. The incident, which occurred at about 8.30am- 9pm at the old building under reconstruction, was said to have claimed the lives of the three workmen while trying, on the orders of the contractor handling the project, to set ablaze an underground water tank in the premises. The three persons were said to have died in the hospital where they were rushed for medical attention for the severe injuries they sustained from the explosion. Contacted last night for confirmation, both the State Commissioner of Police (CP), Mr. Young Arebamen and the Area Commander, Area 'A' Command of the State, Police Command, Mr. Felix A. Ojiri, said the bodies of the three persons, who died in the incident, have been deposited in the mortuary at the Lagos Island General Hospital, while the Contractor to the building was being held at the Maroko Police Division for questioning. Ojiri, who described the incident as purely accidental and an act of stupidity on the part of the contractor and the men, said the contractor had found the underground tank in the building after demolishing it for reconstruction. "They tried to remove it but they could not because the iron rods around it would not allow it to be pulled out. Then, they thought of putting fire on place to melt the iron rods. They heaped up tyres there, tried to put fire on them, they did not catch, then they put petrol and set fire on them. Just as the fire was burning, the tank suddenly exploded, and pieces of it hit the workmen, who were severely injured. They were rushed to the hospital where they eventually gave up the ghost. It was an act of stupidity" the Area Com-mander said.
Salinas restaurant evacuated for fire ASalinas restaurant was evacuated Friday when a small fire broke out in a ventilator duct on the roof. Elli's Restaurant, a new business at 1250 S. Main St., was cleared out at 1:40 p.m. after someone noticed smoke billowing from the roof. Salinas fire Capt. Brett Loomis said roofers were using a torch on a repair when a spark caused a small fire in a filter. Loomis said the heat melted a plastic motor casing, burning a filter inside. The business was evacuated for about 20 minutes, while firefighters put out the fire. Damage was minimal.
UPDATE OSHA CITES CONSTRUCTION COMPANIES FOR SAFETY VIOLATIONS Two construction companies are being cited by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration for safety violations. The violations were discovered after an accident at a construction site in Brunswick in November of 2002. Workers were putting together the frame for a new medical office building when several large wooden trusses collapsed bringing the workers down with them. Four workers were injured. OSHA has proposed $5,700 in fines to Maple Leaf Construction of Waterville and $3,500 to Alliance Construction of Scarbourough. The companies are expected to appeal.
Two labourers die as trench caves in Express News Service Ahmedabad, January 24 TWO labourers died when the trench they were digging near Bhilwas area of Sardarnagar here, caved in on Friday afternoon. They were laying a sewerage pipeline for the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC). The deceased have been identified as Suresh Bhanji (25) and Devilal (30), both hailing from Banswada in Rajasthan and residing at Majoorgam near Geeta Mandir. While, Assistant Engineer of AMC, Ashok Patel also fell in the trench, he lived as he fell on an underground electricity cable on the upper part of the trench. According to Shankar Valji Damor, a fellow labourer who is also the complainant, they were working at the spot since Thursday as they had been employed to dig an 18-feet deep trench for laying drainage pipes. ‘‘About an hour before the incident, we asked permission from the contractors to widen the trench as the earth was loose and damp. But he denied permission as this would have prolonged the work by half a day. It would also have led to an increase in our wages,’’ alleged Damor. ‘‘We knew that the earth was loose and would cave in anytime. And that is exactly what happened,’’ he added. According to Damor, the deceased were at a depth of about 10-feet which made it difficult for the other three labourers to dig them out in time. ‘‘The municipal officer was lucky but not the workers. The supervisor was quick to inform the fire brigade but by the time they arrived, it was too late,’’ said Shakra Kalyan, another labourer. Sardarnagar police have registered a case against labour contractors Jayanti Nagji and Jetha Amra for causing causing death due to negligence under Section 304 (A).
UPDATE OSHA investigates work-site death By:B.J. O'Brien January 24, 2003 The Bethel Police Department has deemed that the recent death of an employee of Earthmovers, Inc. at the construction site of the Old Hawleyville Road sewer last week was accidental. Bethel Police Captain Robert Cedergren said that the Occupational Safety Health Administration is still working on the case to determine whether there were any safety violations at the work site. "We investigated to the point that we found it was accidental," Capt. Cedergren noted, adding that the deparment is not pursuing the case any longer but that it would help OSHA if needed. Ricardo Silva, 25, of Division Street in Danbury was in an excavation ditch Jan. 14 when steel reinforcing plates tilted and hit him. Emergency personnel from the Stony Hill Fire Department arrived at the scene and extricated Mr. Silva. He was then brought to Danbury Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Earthmovers, Inc was unable to be reached for comment. First Selectwoman Judith Novachek said that she had been attending Siting Council hearings on the Northeast Utilities transmission line proposal that day and did not hear about the incident until she returned to her office. "I was devastated," she said. "I was heartbroken." She pointed out that Earthmovers has a very good record concerning the care of its employees. "It was something that should never happen," Mrs. Novachek said. "Nothing we can do will bring him back." The town's top official said that the Mr. Silva's family is being taken care of. "The company I know has done everything it could do for the family," she said. Mrs. Novachek said that work on the sewer line had ceased for a time following the accident. "I would imagine they were looking at a series of things," she pointed out. "I can't fault them for that."
Equipment Traps Construction Worker, Injuries Not Yet Known January 23, 2003 HOUSTON -- Emergency crews responded to the scene of a construction accident Thursday afternoon, when a worker became trapped in a 14-foot hole that had been shored up, officials said. Authorities said that the accident happened around 3 p.m. in the 14000 block of Hillcroft near Chasewood Drive in southwest Houston. Officials said that a concrete pipe hit the 20-year-old worker, causing him to fall into the hole. He then became wedged between the pipe and concrete. It took about an hour for rescuers to free him, stabilize him and place him on a rescue basket so he could be pulled out of the trench with a crane. He was taken to Ben Taub Hospital in stable condition. His exact injuries are not yet known.
Plumbing accident sparks 2-alarm fire William Kaempffer, Register Staff January 23, 2003 NEW HAVEN — A plumbing mishap sparked a two-alarm fire in the city’s Hill section that left five people temporarily homeless. The blaze at 126 Plymouth St. caused considerable damage to the 2½-story house and began in a second-floor closet, fire fighters said. Neighbor Angie Castillo said she saw the heavy smoke outside and saw heavy flames after she opened her window. "I opened the window and I saw fire, so I called 911," Castillo said. Assistant Fire Chief Michael Grant said the fire started in the closet and quickly extended to the third floor. Five residents, including three children, were put up by the American Red Cross. A plumber using a torch to work on pipes apparently started the fire accidentally. Leith Fraser, the plumber, said water pipes froze and then burst after the furnace stopped working. The owner hired him to fix the plumbing and he was doing that when the fire started. He said he was welding in a new section of pipe when he started smelling smoke. They tried to put out the flames with water but called the fire department when they were unsuccessful.
Gas leak forces UF students out of 2 houses About 12 University of Florida students were jostled from their morning routine on Wednesday when a construction worker operating a backhoe ruptured a gas line near their residence. The incident occurred about 10 a.m. as Gainesville Regional Utilities' Water Department workers were installing a new water main underground at the corner of SW 12th Street and SW 7th Avenue, said Thor Wishart of GRU. After the backhoe cut through the 1-inch natural gas pipe, GRU evacuated the residents of the Pilot and Badcock Scholarship houses on SW 12th Street across from UF's Norman Hall. Gainesville Fire Rescue spokesman Stuart Schwartz said the alarm of a natural gas smell first was received from UF, and firefighters deployed hoses in case of an explosion, but the morning breeze helped disperse the gas. The students were able to return home after about 2 1/2 hours of waiting for the repairs, said Valerie Wright, head resident at the Pilot Scholarship house. Two blocks of 12th Street were blocked off and bus routes were rerouted while crews worked to repair the gas pipe.
Fires ravage two homes Tuesday, January 21, 2003 By SEAN C. McCULLEN Staff Writer BRIDGETON -- Two house fires in the city Monday afternoon were quickly brought under control by the Bridgeton Fire Department, but both have left the victims displaced for the time being. The fire department received their first call to duty Monday at 12:13 p.m. when a neighbor reported a fire at 131 South Ave. The fire was declared under control at 12:45 p.m., according to fire investigator Gene Shelton. "The quick response from the fire department and the fact that a neighbor called in the one on South Avenue saved it from totaling the whole house and pretty much kept it to a small area," Fire Chief David Schoch said. No one was home at the time of the fire, which Shelton said has been ruled accidental. The fire department was once again called to action at 3:21 p.m. for a reported trash can on fire at 19 Rose St. But once firefighters arrived to the scene, they discovered it was more than a mere trash can on fire -- the blaze had quickly spread to the rear wall of the house. The Rose Street fire was declared under control at 3:53 p.m., according to Schoch, but left a large section of the wall and a window severely damaged. Two children and their baby-sitter were at the Rose Street residence when the fire started, but no one was injured. "The fact that the smoke detectors were there and in working order helped avert a much bigger problem," Schoch said. The South Avenue fire started when tar, which had been applied to the roof earlier in the day, leaked down through cracks in the roof into the home's walls. Schoch said the residents finished sealing the roof with a blow torch, which apparently caused the tar to catch fire. The tar leaked down into the walls, slowly burning, and was further fueled by the home's wood. The South Avenue victims were given contact information for the Red Cross in the event they could not find a place to stay while the necessary repairs are made to their home. Shelton said five adults and two children live there. A Red Cross spokesperson said Monday afternoon the organization had not been contacted. The victims of the Rose Street fire were supposed to begin staying at another residence owned by realtor Bob Thompson today. "We usually have enough empty houses to put them up," Thompson said. "In an emergency, we can take care of people, too." Thompson, who said he is also providing temporary lodging to a family displaced Saturday by a fire at a property of his on Cedar Street, said the victims were planning to stay with friends or family last night. He said the victims could move into a property he owns on Bank Street once city officials inspect it for occupancy approval. Schoch said the fire department was assisted at both fires by the Bridgeton Emergency Ambulance Association and the Office of Emergency Management. The Hopewell-Stow Creek Fire Department joined the effort at the South Avenue fire and the Gouldtown Fire Department assisted on Rose Street. Schoch said the two departments, as well as the Fairton Fire Department and Upper Deerfield Fire Department No. 3, are part of a mutual aid agreement with his department. The agreement requires four departments to respond to any fire within a designated quadrant of the city between the hours of 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. The city fire department likewise responds to any fires in those municipalities during the 12-hour span. After 6 p.m., the departments call in any additional help they may need.
Independence man dies in accident By The Examiner staff An Independence man died Tuesday at a downtown Kansas City construction site when his concrete truck slipped from a dirt ramp and fell into a 6-foot-deep ravine. The weight of the truck crushed the cab. Earl F. Bean, 64, was killed instantly, authorities said. Bean had driven to the site to pour foundation footings for a new medical center building. He had been employed by the construction company, Fordyce Concrete, for 18 years. Bean was a lifelong Independence resident who worked hard and spent his free time with his five grandchildren and watching baseball games, said his 20-year-old daughter, Melanie Bean. Melanie Bean, who had lived at home with her father, said he worked long hours but when he was off, they enjoyed driving around looking for new places to eat. "I don't know what I'm going to do now," she said. As of this morning, Melanie Bean was making funeral arrangements.
UPDATE, Conectiv must pay injured house painter $5.1 million By RENEE WINKLER Courier-Post staff A jury awarded $5.1 million in damages to a Gloucester County house painter who was partially paralyzed on the job when an exposed electrical line shocked him. Tom Litka, 44, was painting the exterior of a home down the street from his own Franklinville residence when the accident happened June 10, 2000. He fell from a ladder and was shocked by an uninsulated power line attached to a utility pole at the house. Litka broke 15 bones, including several ribs, his backbone and sternum. One bone severed his spine, paralyzing him from the chest down, said his attorney, John Mininno. After four months of hospitalization and physical rehabilitation, Litka must use a wheelchair to move around and rely on friends and family for his care, according to testimony at the trial before Superior Court Judge Charles Little. The power line was installed and maintained by Wilmington, Del.-based Conectiv, which provides electrical service in the Franklin Township area. The company was the defendant in Litka's suit. Litka expressed gratitude after the verdict Friday that New Jersey doesn't impose caps on judgments in civil cases. "He needs constant care, professional care, and this will pay for it," Mininno said. The attorney declined further comment. Conectiv also declined to comment on the suit. The Camden County jury awarded damages of about $7.2 million - $4 million for pain and suffering and the balance for Litka's medical expenses. Jurors found that Litka was 30 percent responsible for his injury, reducing the amount Conectiv must pay to $5.1 million.
No one hurt as debris rains down from condo under construction By ARDY FRIEDBERG sun-sentinel.com FORT LAUDERDALE -- Just before 11 a.m. Tuesday, a crane dislodged a section of scaffolding on the 18th floor of a condominium under construction in the 100 block of East Las Olas Boulevard sending timbers and metal tumbling to the ground around the base of the crane. Emergency units responding to the accident said no one was hurt. The general contractor of the Riverhouse Condo Tower is Suffolk Construction of West Palm Beach. A representative of the Occupation Safety and Health Administration said an investigator was being sent to the site.
Man survives 18-foot fall in Saratoga Springs JIM KINNEY, The Saratogian January 21, 2003 SARATOGA SPRINGS -- A worker hanging drywall for the new CVS drug store building along Congress Street survived an 18-foot fall from a scaffold Monday morning. Bruce Kilmartin, 41, of Boylston Street in Glens Falls, was in stable condition Monday afternoon at Albany Medical Center, Saratoga Springs Police Investigator John Catone said. A state police helicopter flew him to the medical center right from an adjacent parking lot. ''He's going to make it,'' Catone said. ''He is very lucky.'' Kilmartin injured his head and neck. Catone said the hospital told him Kilmartin didn't break his left leg as firefighters originally thought. ''He hit his head and neck on the scaffold on his way down,'' Catone said. Catone said he doesn't know why Kilmartin fell. No witnesses saw him fall, and everything about the scaffolding seemed to be in order. ''There was snow on the victim's shoes,'' Catone said. ''He might have just slipped.'' Kilmartin wasn't wearing a safety harness, though, police later said. Catone said he has referred the case to the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration office in Albany, a standard procedure for workplace accidents. Kilmartin works for subcontractor Niatrast Drywall, Catone said. The Pike Companies of Clifton Park is the general contractor, he said. City Fire Capt. Robert Williams said Kilmartin fell onto a concrete sidewalk. Kilmartin was conscious, but not alert, soon after the accident at about 8 a.m. Jeffrey B. Post, 42, of Ballston Spa, died Dec. 8 of head injuries suffered a day earlier when he fell 12 feet from a scaffold at a Jelenik Building and Renovations job site on Vanderbilt Avenue in Saratoga Springs. Catone investigated Post's death as well. ''He didn't fall as far as Kilmartin, and he died,'' Catone said. ''It just depends on how you fall.''
Falling lumber crushes construction worker By Staff report VALLEJO - A construction worker suffered major trauma Friday and was transported by helicopter to John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek after being struck by falling wooden boards, according to the Vallejo Fire Department. The accident occurred at 2:44 p.m. on the 400 block of Redwood Street, Firefighter Matt Fenzl said. he fire department Saturday would not release the name of the injured man, described as being in his 40s, until family can be notified. A spokesman for John Muir Medical Center would not release the current condition of the man.
One worker seriously injured in collapse of 20-storey tower crane By Dominique Loh A 20-storey tower crane collapsed on Friday afternoon along Tiong Bahru Road, trapping two workers for more than one and a half hours before they were rescued by Civil Defence officers. One construction worker is believed to have suffered spinal injuries while the other may have broken his leg. Two other workers suffered only minor injuries and were seen hobbling to an ambulance at the accident scene. All four were taken to the Singapore General Hospital. Tsao San, a witness, said: "The first thing I heard was the sound, a very loud crashing sound, much louder than what is normally heard, so you know something extraordinary has happened, so I came and when I got here, everything was as it is, already the crane and the boom were twisted out of shape." Witnesses say the workers were trying to dismantle the crane at about 4.30pm when the structure gave way, trapping the two workers within the main structure. It took about 30 minutes for Civil Defence officers to rescue the first worker, who may have suffered spinal injuries. Major Eric Yap, Commander, Ist CD Division,said: "One of the casualties sustained serious injuries, suspected spinal injuries so we had to be very careful with the rescue and we had to stabilise his condition to ensure his injuries do not get worse when we transfer him down." After the first rescue, officers turned their attention to freeing the other trapped worker, who may have broken his right leg. It is still not known how the crane structure could have given way.
UPDATE Saw injury firm must pay £5,000 By Bridget Ballance A Staffordshire window manufacturer has been fined £5,000 after a 17-year-old worker was badly hurt using a saw which did not comply with health and safety regulations. Philip Betts was left permanently scarred by the accident at Enterprise Glass and Glazing Limited, formerly of Unit 10, Landywood Enterprise Park, Holly Lane, Great Wyrley. Director Paul Gillion, told Cannock magistrates that the firm admitted failing to ensure the safety of people using a manually fed pivoting head circular saw. Mr Guy Dale, of the Health and Safety Executive, said on April 8 Mr Betts, one of two employees, was using the saw, which was usual practice. His hand slipped off the lever, under the blade causing a serious laceration and severed tendons. He said he still had limited feeling and permanent scarring and arthritis. Factors leading to the accident included a missing spring and safety switch and a guard held in place by sticky tape. Mr Andrew McGuire, defending, said the firm stopped trading two months after the accident and had £6,000 in profits. Mr Betts was now work-ing in another job. Mr McGuire said the tape was an attempt to protect workers a saw bought from a firm which had gone into receivership meaning it was hard to quickly find a replacement spring. Magistrates chairman Graham Jones said the offence warranted a fine of £10,000 but he took into account the firm's finances and it was fined £5,000 and ordered to pay £850 costs.
Whittier man dies from fall into elevator shaft By Kristopher Hanson Thursday, January 16, 2003 - LONG BEACH -- A 24- year-old Whittier man was killed early Thursday after plunging nearly 40 feet into an elevator shaft at a Port of Long Beach construction site, officials said. Edward Ulloa fell into the opening while working on the elevator's door frame in a parking structure being built adjacent to the Queen Mary, said Long Beach Fire spokesman Scott Clegg. Paramedics answered a 7:15 a.m. accident call at 1126 Queens Highway and found Ulloa suffering from massive head injuries and chest trauma. "He had minimal signs of life upon our arrival,' Clegg said. Ulloa was rushed to St. Mary Medical Center, where surgeons attempted to stabilize him. However, his injuries were too severe and he died just after 11 a.m., said hospital spokeswoman Kristin Eichelberg. An initial investigation indicated Ulloa was working atop a lift with another worker on the third floor of the parking structure when he leaned over a protective railing and fell, Clegg said. The new 1,450-space parking Structure is being built to accommodate the new Carnival Cruise terminal next to the Queen Mary. It is expected to open this spring. Cal-OSHA, the California branch of the Occupation Safety and Health Administration, will investigate the incident.
1 Dead, 1 Injured In 9th Ward Sewerage Line Accident Wall Reportedly Collapsed Into Hole NEW ORLEANS -- An accident Wednesday at a 9th Ward sewerage line repair site has killed one worker and injured another. The accident happened at about 2:30 p.m. in the 1300 block of Kentucky Street, where investigators said a wall collapsed into a 10-foot hole where workers were repairing the line, covering two men with dirt and debris. Brian McGee was taken to Charity Hospital, where he is listed in guarded condition with a broken leg. The name of the man who was killed has not been released pending notification of his family. Both were employed by JLJ Construction, which was contracted by the Sewerage and Water Board. The cause of the accident is under investigation.
Risky rescue at construction site By Annette Phillips Local News - Firefighters teamed up with a construction crew yesterday afternoon to pull off the risky rescue of a man who had fallen four metres and lay injured on scaffolding two storeys above the ground. Firefighters, co-workers and ambulance attendants climbed the scaffolding, placed the injured man face-down in a basket and used a small crane called a zoom-boom to lift the basket from the second floor to the ground. It was a precarious rescue for firefighters, who have limited training in “high-angle” rescues, said George Harris, assistant deputy fire chief. Had the crane not been nearby, firefighters would have moved to Plan B – likely lowering the stretcher to the ground with ropes and straps, Harris said. The department has long dreamed of developing a high-angle rescue team to undertake missions like the one performed yesterday, Harris said. Funding has been a problem and firefighters rely on their wits, training and resourcefulness to make do in sticky situations, he said. “For 25 years, we’ve tried to muddle along, but in this day and age a lot more is expected of firefighters.” The injured man, whom police and firefighters could not identify, was working on the construction of a new residence for Queen’s University less than a block from Kingston General Hospital. Staff Sgt. Greg Sands of the Kingston police said last night the man’s injuries were minor and that he had never lost consciousness. Elio Pira, one of the site foremen, was on the other side of the building when the man fell. Pira orchestrated the rescue. He directed the crane rescue and rode to the ground steadying the stretcher. He said he did not know what caused the fall. Ministry of Labour investigators were on the scene late yesterday looking for clues to the cause of the accident and for any contraventions of the Occupational Health and Safety Act, said Belinda Sutton, a ministry spokeswoman. A spokesman for Aecon Corporation, the lead contractor on the site, said the injured worker is employed by a Kingston masonry subcontractor. Santin Mason Contractors on Clyde Court is working at the Queen’s site, but a spokeswoman there said she could not confirm whether the injured worker is an employee of the company. Kingston firefighters’ high-altitude capabilities were last put to the test in May 1998 when one side of a suspended platform gave way under a couple of window washers high up the outside of the Harbourfront condominium. In that incident, the two men were eventually able to haul themselves up the listing platform and clamber into a window to escape uninjured.
Man severely burned in accident Last Updated: Jan. 15, 2003 Town of Delafield - A Dousman man was in serious condition Wednesday after he was severely burned in an industrial accident, officials said. Michael J. Mogensen, 54, was taken to the burn center at Columbia St. Mary's, Milwaukee Campus, with second- and third-degree burns to his face, hands and arms, Fire Chief Dean Richards said. Richards and Waukesha County Sheriff's Detective Steve Pederson gave the following account: A crew from Ideal Masonry Inc. was pouring a concrete basement for a home near Lexington Lane and Fairfield Way. An oil used to pour over the frames during the construction process was too thick to use because of the low temperatures. So Mogensen, the company's owner, was in a truck about 10:45 a.m. using a torch connected to a 100-pound propane tank next to the truck to warm a 50-gallon pressurized tank containing 25 gallons of the oil. The heat caused the tank to ignite. Mogensen's employees pulled him out of the truck and away from the fire. They also put out the flames burning his upper body. "This man is the luckiest guy in the world," Richards said. "A little bit more fire or if his employees hadn't been there to pull him out, he wouldn't be here."
Worker pulled out from tonnes of debris BY BERNARD SEE PENANG: A 49-year-old construction worker survived despite being trapped beneath tonnes of rubble and debris following the collapse of two adjoining pre-war houses in Jalan Dr Lim Chwee Leong here yesterday morning. Hashim Mohd Din was pulled out from the rubble by several of his colleagues who had witnessed the collapse at 10am. He was rushed to the Penang Hospital in an ambulance with serious head and body injuries. Hashim was preparing to start work when the roofs of the two houses, including its common wall,came crashing down. His colleagues, who were outside, cheated death as they were just about to enter the premises at that time. Hashim, who suffered serious concussion, facial cuts and head and body injuries, was unconscious when wheeled out of the hospital's X-ray department. A neighbour, who declined to be named, said he was having a late breakfast when he heard a very loud crash. “I thought that an accident had occurred. I ran outside and saw a huge cloud of dust coming from the next house. “The top portion (roofs) had collapsed and I could hear someone groaning in pain beneath the rubble. “Three men suddenly began digging the rubble and managed to pull a man out in a few minutes. “The man was covered in dust and his head was bleeding,” he said, adding that the victim was later taken away by an ambulance. Kampong Kolam assemblyman Lim Gim Soon said this was the second time that such an incident had happened at the same premises, the first happened about six months ago shortly after the residents moved out. “I wrote to the Penang Municipal Council about the dilapidated state of the two pre-war houses which are owned by a Singaporean. “The council wrote to the owner who then instructed a construction company to renovate the premises and work started about two months ago,” he said.
Fire breaks out at Taiwan's skyscraper under construction TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP): A fire broke out Thursday at the construction site of what architects say will be one of Asia's tallest skyscrapers. No one was injured as workers were quickly evacuated, officials said. Smoke belched from the ceiling of a shopping mall that is part of the partially built Taipei Financial Center, which will be 408 meters (1,347 feet) tall when completed, officials said. Vice Taipei Mayor Ou Chin-der said the fire might have been ignited when workers using welders let sparks fall on waterproof materials in the structure. The mall is scheduled to open in September. "The fire is under control. No one was injured,'' Ou said. Last April, five construction workers were killed when a magnitude 6.8 earthquake dislodged two cranes from the top of the 60th floor. The 101-storey building is supposed to be completed in about a year. So far, 78 floors have been built.
Worker seriously hurt in fall Palm Beach Daily News Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2003 -- A construction worker at the 400 South Ocean Boulevard Condo was seriously injured Tuesday after falling between 40 and 50 feet from the building to the pavement, according f+z f-z to Palm Beach Fire-Rescue officials. Fire-Rescue workers were called to the scene at 11:12 a.m. They took the worker to St. Mary Medical Center. His name and condition were unavailable Tuesday evening. The general contractor at the building, Aquashield Corp. of Hollywood, declined to comment on the incident.
Refurbished building floor collapses, one worker injured Freddie Ng The first floor of a building under refurbishment Jalan Dr Lim Chwee Leong here collapsed this morning, bringing down with it a contract worker who was seriously injured. Hasim Mohd Din, 49, sustained head and bodily injuries when the first floor of the old building collapsed at 10am. Hasim, who was reportedly working on the ground floor when the incident occurred, was sent to Penang Hospital by passers-by. Kampong Kolam State Assemblyman Lim Gim Soon who visited the scene soon after said it is believed that the building and the adjacent one, were owned by a Singaporean. Work to refurbish the two shophouses had begun about a month ago after the owner received permission from the Penang Island Municipal Council to do so.
Man in collapsed building uses cell phone to summon help Ouaquaga, New York-AP -- It's a good thing Steven Brown had his cell phone with him when he was dismantling an old storage building. Brown became trapped yesterday afternoon when the building collapsed. With the temperature in the mid-teens, Brown was pinned between the building's roof and foundation. But he managed to dial 9-1-1 on his cell phone. Emergency dispatchers kept him on the line while fire, police and ambulance crews tried to find him in a rural area about 15 miles east of Binghamton, New York. After about 15 minutes, a local fire chief spotted the collapsed building. Crews used special air bags to extricate Brown. Brown is in fair condition at a Binghamton-area hospital.
Libyan man dies on place of work by Charlotte Bonavia, di-ve news (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) Birkirkara, MALTA (di-ve news) -- A 28-year-old Libyan man from Tripoli lost his life when he fell a height of three storeys in a construction site at Birkirkara, on Tuesday afternoon at around 1300CET. The accident happened when the man was plastering and painting in a new building in Triq il-Qanpiena l-Kbira, Birkirkara. The man was taken to St. Luke’s Hospital by a private vehicle where the doctor in the Emergency Department certified him as dead. Duty Magistrate Jacqueline Padovani Grima was informed about the case and appointed several experts to assist her in the inquiry. An autopsy on the body is expected to be held on Thursday morning at around 0815CET by Dr Ali Safraz, Dr Maria Theresa Camilleri, Dr Mario Scerri and Dr Mario Sammut. The Police investigations continue.
Oilfield accident leaves one dead Odessa American SEMINOLE — The Gaines County Sheriff’s Office is investigating an industrial accident that killed a man Monday morning. The identity of the man, who is from New Mexico, was being withheld pending family notification Monday evening, said Deputy Robert Alvarado of Gaines County. At 10:40 a.m. Monday about three miles south of the intersection of Farm-to-Market Road 303 and County Road 124, the man was crushed between two sets of 16-inch pipe, Alvarado said. The man worked for Saulcon Construction and was laying pipe when the accident happened, he said. The man was pronounced dead by Gaines County Justice of the Peace Tammy Clark, Alvarado said.
Jackhammer Accident In Waterbury Waterbury - A workman remains in critical condition after an accident in Waterbury. Authorities say Otamir Cordera was using a jackhammer to dig a trench across Phoenix Avenue yesterday, when he struck a power line. Cordera suffered severe electrical burns to his face. He was rushed to St. Mary's Hospital. Cordera worked for Green Mountain Communications. The accident is under investigation.
Construction worker electrocuted By a Staff Writer JEDDAH, 13 January 2003 — Yahya Saleh, a Yemeni national, was killed by high voltage electricity while working on a building site in Jizan, Okaz daily reported yesterday. He was climbing a ladder when he touched the wires and then fell, seriously injuring his head. Firefighters rushed to the scene to investigate and assist Yahya, but he was dead when they arrived. His body was taken to a nearby hospital. By a Staff Writer
Demolition mishap One worker injured: A construction worker was taken to Tallahassee Memorial Hospital on Thursday after a portion of a metal roof collapsed on him. Contractors were tearing down the roof of the old Winn Dixie on West Tennessee Street about 3 p.m. when part of the roof fell on the worker and another man driving a tractor, according to Lt. Jimmy Butler of the Tallahassee Fire Department. The man on the tractor was not hurt, but the other worker, whose name was not released, received severe bruises and complained of back and neck pain. Fellow workers pulled him out of the debris before rescuers arrived. Crews plan to dig a trapped excavating machine out of the rubble today.
Worker Killed While Directing Traffic Laid to Rest A state highway worker killed while directing traffic near a fatal accident was laid to rest Saturday. 20-year-old Christopher Mills was hit by a pickup truck, while flagging cars at the crash site three miles east of Manchester on the Daniel Boone Parkway on Tuesday. Mills was taken to Manchester Memorial Hospital, where he died from his injuries. Workers were removing a tractor-trailer that had been involved in a wreck Monday night, resulting in one death. In that wreck, police said a car driven by 33-year-old Robert L. Rucker, of Bulan, crossed the center line into the path of a tractor-trailer loaded with coal and driven by 44-year-old Cary J. Logan of Wooton. Rucker was pronounced dead at the scene. Logan was taken to Manchester Memorial.
Accident reported day after training Matt Swearengin January 11, 2003 One day after an emergency training exercise at Big Lots construction site, emergency personnel were out there again, this time for the real McCoy. About 8 a.m. today, an emergency call was made about a worker trapped under a beam at the site on Enterprise Boulevard. Durant Fire Department and Bryan County EMS were dispatched. "When they called us, they said they had a man with a beam on his leg," said Durant Fire Department Assistant Chief Stacy Reid. "But we didn't have to get anything off of him. We just helped the ambulance crew load him up." Randy Barnhill, project supervisor for Haskell Co., said this morning he could not provide details of the accident or the name of the victim because it is company policy to first complete an accident report. He did say the worker, a subcontractor, has a twisted knee from falling backwards over a beam. Barnhill said the injury is not serious. "He'll probably be back to work in the morning," he said. Tuesday morning, Haskell Co. held an emergency training exercise in which rescue crews removed a training dummy from the roof of the building. In this exercise, the "victim" had a heart attack while working on the roof and was removed by crane and loaded into an ambulance. The accident this morning was the first for the Big Lots site.
Bridge worker killed in accident By Sean Holstege STAFF WRITER Friday, January 10, 2003 - A man working on Bay Bridge seismic improvement projects has died in a Texas factory explosion. Metalworker Ernesto Moreno, 26, was killed Monday, reportedly as he worked on a steel casing for the bridge pilings. He is the third worker to die in the course of the retrofit. The accident in Ingleside, Texas, comes one week before pile driving is set to begin on part of the new Bay Bridge. One motorist was killed on the bridge during the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake after driving into a gaping hole that appeared in the upper deck, when strong ground shaking collapsed a section of road and prompted the seismic retrofit. The Texas explosion reportedly occurred when sparks from Moreno's grinding tool mixed with leaking gas fumes from a nearby welding torch. Federal workplace safety regulators have shut down manufacturing of the steel casings, Caltrans spokesman Greg Bayol said. He added that it remains unclear if the stoppage or the resulting safety probe will affect the construction timetable in Oakland. In the meantime, some pre-fabricated steel piles have been assembled in the construction staging area near Burma Road, which is known colloquially as "Camp Kiewit" for the prime contractor, Kiewit/FCI/Manson Joint Venture. The Omaha, Neb.-based Kiewit is building a $1 billion skyway, the first leg of a new $3 billion bridge to run parallel to and replace the quake damaged eastern span. Moreno worked for a Kiewit subsidiary. This week's accident follows a string of problems involving the retrofit of the western span and painting subcontractor Robison-Prezioso Inc. In 2001 a construction panel collapsed onto the lower deck and killed passing motorist Anthony Menalosco of San Jose. Last year a scaffold buckled, pinning Oakland painter Darryl Clemons to the underside of the top deck. The freak accident killed him and hurt three co-workers. One of those colleagues, Nate Castilleja, filed suit in Alameda County Superior Court last week seeking damages from prime contractor California Engineering Contractors/Modern Continental Construction and from the New York firm that built the scaffold, Beeche Systems Corp.
Balcony falls, injuring 2 workers EILEEN ZAFFIRO Staff Writer ORMOND BEACH -- Two construction workers using jackhammers Friday to drop a concrete balcony onto the ground wound up going along for the ride and fell more than seven feet. Both men survived the fall at an Ormond Beach condominium complex without life-threatening injuries, but each suffered multiple cuts, bruises and possibly broken bones, emergency workers said. "It's a good way to jump-start your heart in the morning," said Lainey Durgin, the rental manager at the Ormond Ocean Club, where workers are replacing aging balconies. John Rapp and Mike Schaffer, who work for R & J Coatings and Waterproofing, were standing on a beam of the balcony on the southeast corner of the building at 855 Ocean Shore Boulevard, said co-worker John Bickel. A little after 8:30 a.m., they started using their jackhammers on a crack they hoped would break free the second-floor balcony, Bickel said. The plan was to tear down the weak sections of balconies at the 30-year-old, 47-unit oceanside building Friday, and begin replacing th Monday, Bickel said. Rapp, 23, and Schaffer, 45, both of Daytona Beach, were standing side by side and leaning forward as they drilled into a section of concrete about a foot in front of them, Bickel said. "When it gave way, they both fell forward," said Bickel, who watched helplessly as he stood on a ladder beside them. " . . . It just broke faster than they wanted." Bickel said Rapp fell on top of Schaffer, with a jackhammer in between them. "They both jumped up immediately, and I told them Lay down on the grass, both of you, until paramedics arrive,' " Bickel said. The balcony was attached to a unit that was to be home for a couple from Ohio throughout January. They moved to another townhouse in the complex Friday. Barbara Downey, who had been living in the unit since Jan. 1, said she was sitting at the kitchen table drinking coffee, and her husband Carl was upstairs. "It was just a big thump, an ungodly noise," 67-year-old Barbara Downey said. "You knew something bad happened. My husband is in construction and he knew what it was. He yelled down for someone to call 911." Rapp was taken by EVAC ambulance to Halifax Medical Center, where he was treated and released, medical officials said. A sheriff's helicopter transported Schaffer to Halifax, where he was admitted and in stable condition later Friday. "Thank God," Bickel said. "It could have been a lot worse." The helicopter was dispatched before the seriousness of the workers' injuries was determined, said EVAC spokesman Mark O'Keefe. He said an ambulance took Schaffer to the helicopter, which landed in the parking lot of nearby St. Brendan Catholic Church. An Ormond Beach city inspector arrived about an hour after the accident, asked about work permits and ordered work stopped at least until next week. Inspectors from the Occupational Safety & Health Administration will check the work site, rental manager Durgin said.
Crane arm crashes through dental clinic The arm of a crane broke through a window of a dental clinic after the vehicle rolled over on a national highway in Tokyo on Saturday morning, police said. The arm of a crane leans against the wall of an office building in Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, after breaking through a window of a fourth-floor dental clinic. Nobody was injured in the accident. Police are questioning construction workers and their supervisor in a bid to determine the cause of the accident. At around 8:40 a.m., a crane lost its balance and rolled over as its driver was loading it onto a trailer parked on Route 246 in the Taishido district of Setagaya-ku, police said. The vehicle's arm broke through a window of Hirano Clinic on the fourth floor of a nine-story office building along the highway. The crane was to leave the site after dismantling a neighboring building. The 20-meter-long arm had been folded down to 15 meters at the time. The scene is located in an area about 200 meters away from Sangen-Jaya Station on the Tokyu Denen Toshi Line. (Mainichi Shimbun, Jan. 11, 2003)
OMI employee injured Saturday, January 11, 2003 BY RACHEL GALLAGHER An Operations Management International employee was injured Friday night while trying to repair a main sewer break just southeast of Atchison Casting Corp. OMI Project Manager Mike Mathews said a large rock and some soil from a wall in a trench gave way and fell on Jesse Smith. Workers had dug a trench about 50 to 75 feet wide to get to the break because raw sewage has been flowing from the area since about 5 p.m. Thursday. OMI staff members began working on the break early Friday morning. The sewer line runs parallel to the Union Pacific Railroad tracks. Because of the proximity of the break to the tracks, Mr. Mathews said, safety concerns prevented workers from beginning repairs until Friday morning. Mr. Mathews said OMI workers were about to finish working on the break before the incident occurred. “It’s kind of a freak thing that happened,” Mr. Mathews said. According to Mr. Mathews, the debris fell on Mr. Smith’s lower body. OMI workers called for emergency help at 5:45 p.m. but were able to dig Mr. Smith out before emergency and fire crews arrived. “He was all out before EMS got there,” Mr. Mathews said. Mr. Mathews said it looked as though Mr. Smith’s left leg was badly injured but everything else appeared to be fine. He was taken by ambulance to Atchison Hospital. Despite the accident, Mr. Mathews said his crew was going to press on to complete the repair of the sewer line Friday night.
Broken piston rod blamed for High Point crane accident The Associated Press HIGH POINT, N.C.(AP) - A fatal crane accident occurred in September when a piston rod broke, causing the crane's boom to move downward and hit a wall, dumping steel rafters on the victim, the state Labor Department has ruled. Juan Jose Mayo Uyoa, 30, of Randleman, was crushed to death Sept. 16 at a Samet Corp. construction site in High Point. Neither Greensboro-based Samet nor Contract Erectors, the Randleman firm operating the crane, will be cited or fined because the rod is not something that's expected to be checked, the department said Friday. "It was not part of the maintenance routine," said Juan Santos, a department spokesman. A broken rod is rare, he said. Contract Erector Operations Manager Mark Stinson said the rod acts similar to a breaking system on a car and prevents the boom from moving up or down when working properly. The crane boom was lifting the five tons of rafters over a wall when the accident occurred. Santos said department investigators determined the rod was either worn and had broken before or during the accident. A Contract Erectors inspector reached the same conclusion after a separate inquiry, he said. The mishap was one of two deaths at the building site within three weeks. Charles Edward Weiss, 55, of Randleman, died Oct. 2 when police said he lost his balance and fell from the roof of the building. The building for Deep River West Co. was completed in December. Information from: High Point Enterprise
Construction accident kills Henderson man By Gleaner staff A 46-year-old Henderson resident died Thursday afternoon in a construction accident on Janalee Drive. According to the Henderson County Coroner's Office, Randall S. Kitchens died from blunt force trauma when the industrial forklift he was operating overturned on him. Henderson Police Department reports said that Kitchens -- who owned Randall Kitchens Construction -- was running the forklift and doing masonry work about 1:15 p.m. at a house located at 101 Janalee Drive. The forklift was on a steep slope and when Kitchens raised the boom the machine tipped over on him, authorities said. Kitchens was married and had three children. He was a hunter and spent a lot of time coaching girls softball and baseball.
Man dies after construction accident on E-470 BROOMFIELD, Colo. (AP) - An iron worker was killed Thursday when about 1,500 pounds of rebar fell on him at a construction site here. The accident occurred at about 4 p.m. when the 43-year-old man was working on a portion of the E-470 toll road., which encircles the east metro area. Authorities said he was about 18 feet above the ground when his safety harness worked loose. The man fell and between 1,000 and 2,000 pounds of rebar, or reinforcing steel, toppled on him, said police spokesman Sgt. Dan Schuler. The man's name wasn't released.
Trapped construction worker rescued from building By Cheryl Conner HAGERSTOWN, MD JANUARY 10 - Some tense moments occurred at a construction site in downtown Hagerstown as a worker was trapped between floors of a building. The accident happened at the Baldwin House in downtown Hagerstown around 8:45 in the morning. That is when a construction worker fell between floors and was stuck for about two and a half hours. Hagerstown Fire Department and Community Rescue Service worked for an hour and a half to get the man down safely. His right leg fell through a weak spot in the wooden floor so he was stuck with his left leg on the upper floor and his right hanging below. "We put a harness on to protect his spine because of his potential injury from the fall. We lifted him up out of the floor with a tripod lifting device with his harness, and then placed him on a back board, placed him on a basket, and then, as you saw, placed him on a ladder to get him outside," explained Chris Amus of the Community Rescue Service. Rescue workers are not releasing the man's identity at this time, but he had complained on numbness from his waist down. Also, Washington Street has reopened. It was shutdown from Prospect Street to Potomac Street as many people stopped to watch the rescue.
Forklift Accident Injures Two Workers in Knoxville By JENNIFER CARMACK KNOXVILLE (WATE) -- Two construction workers are in a Knoxville hospital Thursday after a forklift fell 45 feet and trapped them. The incident happened on Weisgarber Road at the Bush Brothers construction site. Just before 11:30 Thursday morning, the Knoxville Fire Department got a call that a construction worker was trapped underneath a forklift at the Bush Brothers site. But they found something different. "We discovered that it had not fallen on top of a person, rather two people had been in a bucket on top of the forklift and it had fallen over with them in it," spokesman Charlie Barker says. The two workers, Steven Ball and Pedro Libardo, fell and were partially pinned underneath the bucket. "The temperature had heated up some and on a construction site, you can get a little loose dirt," Barker explains. "So there may have been some cushioning there. But that's an awful long fall." As the men were rushed to the UT Medical Center with severe injuries. Then safety inspectors arrived on scene, trying to piece together what happened. Lockwood Greene, the construction firm in charge of the site, says the men were installing window frames when it tipped over. TOSHA has launched a full investigation into the accident. Both workers are recovering.
1 Killed In Falls County Construction Accident One person is dead and two others hospitalized after a construction accident in Falls County. It happened around one o'clock Wednesday afternoon near Highway 14 six miles South of Kosse. The three workers were digging a trench when the walls collapsed. 29 year old Jesus Torres Martinez of Waco was pronounced dead on arrival at Scott and White hospital in Temple. Pedro Pizano of Bellmead and Ledio Zuniga of waco were injured. They are both in stable condition at Limestone Medical Center in Groesbeck with internal injuries.
Woman killed, four hurt in Madinah building collapse By Badr Al-Nayyef, Arab News Staff MADINAH, 9 January 2003 — A 45-year-old Saudi woman died and four other people were injured when a two-story residential building collapsed here Tuesday. Rescue teams from the Civil Defense and the Red Crescent Society quickly arrived at the scene on Al-Salam Street. The injured were rushed to King Fahd General Hospital, and an informed source told Arab News that the dead woman had suffocated. Lt. Col. Ali Atallah Al-Otaibi, director of the Civil Defense in Madinah, told Arab News that a committee has been set up look into the reasons behind the collapse. Otaibi pointed out that locals had already reported that the building seemed to have become unstable as a result of construction work, which was being carried out nearby. Maj. Gen. Yousuf Al-Binayyan, director of police in the region, commended the professionalism of rescue workers who saved those who had been trapped in the debris. There have been two other similar incidents in Madinah recently. The collapse of a building in the Maghareba district resulted in the death of a girl. And a six-story building also suddenly collapsed, although no one was hurt
UPDATE, Hole Caused Collapse, but Who Did the Digging? By MICHAEL WILSON he cleanup and investigation into the collapse of a wall at a Crown Heights apartment building on Tuesday is becoming a whodunit, with no one sure who dug the hole that officials say caused the collapse. "I've never seen anything like it," said Ilyse Fink, a spokeswoman with the Buildings Department. On Tuesday, residents of the building, at 1549 Prospect Place, were sent running out the front door when the back wall sheered off and fell in a cloud of dust. No one was injured. Next door, at 177 and 179 Buffalo Avenue, workers had been building foundations for two new homes. The Buildings Department said that preliminary investigation showed the excavation had gone too deep, causing the foundation of the apartment building to cave in. Witnesses said the work crew left immediately after the collapse. They had not posted the required sign identifying the contractor, said Sid Dinsay, a Buildings Department spokesman. A work permit identified the general contractor overseeing the project as Penta Housing Group, but that firm's owner, Sanjeev Bedi, said yesterday that he had never worked there and did not even know of the existence of the building lot until hearing news accounts of the accident. He said his signature on the work permit was a forgery. "We are victims of fraud," Mr. Bedi said. The Buildings Department is investigating "exactly who the contractor is," Mr. Dinsay said. "We're looking at all possible causes of this confusion." In the meantime, no one will be working on the project. The department issued an order to stop work, along with nine violations. They included failure to protect the sides of an excavation, failure to post a sign or a permit and failure to protect an adjoining property. Mr. Bedi said he had first learned his company was listed as the contractor when a reporter called him. "Somebody actually fraudulently used our information and insurance," Mr. Bedi said. "It looks like somebody got hold of our tracking number." The forms for a work permit require a tracking number, which is awarded to companies with proper insurance. The number is not public record. The forms also require the owner's signature, notarized. Mr. Bedi said he looked at the forms yesterday. "It was a forged signature," he said. The Buffalo Avenue lots where the workers had been digging are owned by D & S Holding Corporation of Queens, according to the Buildings Department. A lawyer for D & S, Stephan J. Siegel, declined to comment on the general contractor the owners had hired. He said the excavation was done by a subcontractor, Bulldog Construction Limited of Amityville, N.Y. But he said he had been unable to reach anyone with the company yesterday. The Buildings Department would not confirm Bulldog's role, if any, at the site, as the collapse is under investigation. The company did not immediately respond to a telephone message yesterday. Mr. Siegel said the collapse might have been caused by the apartment building's age and condition, not the digging. "The excavation causes a certain amount of vibration,"he said. "That very well could easily have created this chain of events, without ever having excavated too far. I don't think it's a good idea to jump to any conclusions at this point."
UPDATE, State investigating trench collapse By Kara Richardson Lansing State Journal State investigators are looking into whether a trench collapse that buried a man alive Tuesday in a Holt subdivision could have been prevented. Arthur Krass, 43, of Portland was trapped 15 feet below ground when a ditch's dirt walls collapsed. He was installing plumbing after sunset at a Beechnut Trail home that was under construction. Nine fellow workers tried to dig Krass out but failed. Later, it took firefighters three hours to unearth his body. Officials from the state Department of Consumer and Industry Services' Bureau of Safety and Regulation will investigate whether the company Krass worked for, Precision Plumbing of Grand Ledge, took proper safety precautions, said Lori Donlan, a department spokeswoman. The bureau reviews all fatal workplace incidents, she said. "Sometimes an accident is an accident," Donlan said. Investigators will visit the scene and interview witnesses to see if the trench was properly supported, sloped or shored up, said Maura Campbell, also a consumer and industry services department spokeswoman. The investigation, which could take several weeks, should determine whether any Michigan Occupational Safety & Health Administration regulations were violated, she said. No one from Precision Plumbing or Krass' family could be reached for comment. Precision Plumbing of Grand Ledge has not been cited for workplace violations in the past, Campbell said. If the employer knew there was a problem and didn't take steps to correct it, a citation could cost the company up to $70,000 in fines. "The penalties are not set up to equate to injury or loss of life," Campbell said. "It's to underscore the importance of safe work sites." Only one of the 24 Michigan construction-related fatalities in 2002 was trench-related, Campbell said. The Ingham County Sheriff's Office is still investigating the incident's cause, Detective J. Verhougstraete said. Contact Kara Richardson at 267-1301 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
ROOFER HURT IN PLUNGE A roofer had to be rescued from 20ft up, after toppling off a rooftop and onto a three-foot wide scaffolding gangway. The man was laying tiles on a semi-detached house at Sandiacre. He fell face-first, from the roof's apex, onto the gangway, landing on top of an upright scaffolding pole. In a dramatic rescue, fire crews lifted the worker to safety using a high-rise platform. "He was lucky, it could have been much worse," said sub-officer Bob Hudson, based at Long Eaton, who was first on the scene in Stanton Road. "He tried to break his fall by reaching out but ended up on top of one of the scaffolding poles." The man, in his late 30s, - from a company sub-contracted to Mansfield building firm Baggaley and Jenkins - suffered chest injuries and was taken to the QMC. He fell 10ft before hitting the gantry. An investigation will now be carried out by the Heath and Safety Executive. Firemen said the man was not wearing a harness but an HSE spokesman said he did not believe there was a rule saying workers in such conditions must wear one. The spokesman said: "When we carry out an investigation into such a matter we will look at the circumstances. Questions we ask include whether people are properly trained and if safety guards were in place." Stuart Caddy, managing director at Baggaley, said he would not have thought a harness was needed for such a job.
Brooklyn Building Wall Collapses By Josh Robin Staff Writer The rear wall of a Brooklyn apartment building crumbled Tuesday, leaving two young children and their sleeping upstairs neighbor teetering before relatives snatched them to safety. “I woke up because I felt hands grabbing me,” said Tenique Chung, whose husband, Pete Roell, 29, might have saved her life when he plucked her from their falling bed. Their mahogany bed frame could be seen hours later hanging out of the exposed building. Officials said shoddy construction work nearby likely triggered the 9:30 a.m. collapse at 1549 Prospect Pl., slicing open the four-story brick building in Weeksville like a knife through a gingerbread house. Sid Dinsay, a spokesman for the city’s Department of Buildings, said workers digging a foundation at 177-179 Buffalo Ave. excavated too far. “They dug a little deeper than they were supposed to,” Dinsay said, adding that the contractors, Penta Housing Group Inc. of Secaucus, N.J., could be cited for violations. There were no injuries in the collapse. One woman was treated for anxiety hours later, when she returned with firefighters to collect her belongings. The 23-unit building, which also has an out-of-service restaurant and doctor’s office, will be off-limits until the foundation is restored. Neal Gorman, a spokesman for the Red Cross, said 20 adults and seven children would be housed in an area motel. He said it appeared everyone in the building accepted the Red Cross’ offer. It was the city’s second structural collapse in less than 12 hours. Early Tuesday, a stone retaining wall in Riverdale collapsed onto two parking garages, crushing six vehicles. The garage owners were cited and ordered to repair the 30-by-60-foot retaining wall, Dinsay said. In Brooklyn, residents of the Prospect Place building said they noticed long-standing cracks in their walls grow Monday night, and at least two called an owner of the building, Al Weiss. They did not receive a call back, Weiss acknowledged. “You know what? They call me all the time for something,” Weiss, of Flatbush, said at the scene. “If you cry wolf all the time, what should I think?” Tuesday morning, the cracks had widened, and when work began at the adjacent site, apartments shook and dust fell, residents said. Roell, the building superintendent, said he told the crew to stop but they didn’t listen. Within seconds, the wall tore from the building, and his children’s empty fourth-floor bedroom floor buckled. Roell dashed into his bedroom, grabbing his wife as the bed slid toward the exposed edge of the building. “I was scared, boy,” said Roell, whose two children, ages 5 and 6, were in school at the time. “I just wanted to get out of the house. I’m the husband, but I didn’t know what to do. The whole living room was gone.” On the second floor, Sarah Straker was in her apartment with her daughter Natasha, 13, and two children, Laqura, 3, and Nigeria, 14 months. Straker said she didn’t have time to run to the children, but Natasha grabbed the two as the floor fell. Sarah Straker said she held on to Natasha to keep her and the other children from falling. “I see the crib going out with the baby inside. My daughter grabbed on to the side,” Sarah Straker said. “We could have been dead.” With the young children safe, mother and daughter then bolted out of the apartment to safety. According to several witnesses, the contractors fled the scene immediately after the accident. Dinsay said the buildings department had no immediate plans to investigate that claim, but he said a company could be cited if a foreman was not at the scene to present investigators with construction plans. A representative from Penta did not immediately return a call. The owner of the property under construction, identified by authorities as Dilip Ramcharan of the D & S Holding Corp. in Richmond Hill, could not be reached. Tenants also criticized Weiss, the building owner, whom they blamed for not taking their concerns seriously enough. “They didn’t return no phone calls,” Straker said. “They didn’t get here until after the apartment has gone down. I mean, everybody could have been dead, if I didn’t grab onto my children.”
Fall critically injures roofer in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea Staff report A roofer was critically injured on Tuesday after falling 14 feet from the top of an oceanside motel in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea and landing on his back, authorities said. The victim, Jesus Valasco, was working with five or six co-workers from Extreme Unlimited Roofing when he fell from the top of the Seaside Motel, 4605 N. Ocean Blvd, said Broward Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Liz Calzadilla. None of the co-workers saw the accident. Paramedics from Broward County Fire-Rescue rushed the unconscious man, whose age was not available, to North Broward Medical Center at 3:20 p.m. He was in critical condition Tuesday night, a nursing supervisor said.
House Explosion Injures Workers OTTAWA COUNTY -- One man is in the hospital after a house exploded in Ottawa County. Construction workers were putting a 3000 square foot addition on 18777 Fruitport Drive in Spring Lake Township, when a propane heater they were using, ignited. "We believe they had a leak on one of their propane cylinders and that ignited," said Spring Lake Township Fire Chief Rick Nuvill. "The walls had just been treated with a foam spray and that ignited the walls." Two men were injured, one was treated on scene, the other was taken to Blodgett's Burn Center. The Chief says they're lucky to be alive. "From all we've heard, the guys were just running from their lives," said Nuvill. The homeowners, Mike and Nina McKeeough, were not living in the house at the time, but planned to move in after the house was remodelled in March. They had to stand and watch as their three-story, 1.8 million dollar dream home smoldered in the wind. Their plan is to rebuild.
Construction accident kills N.J. man, 59 By RYAN CORMIER A construction worker died Tuesday after he was caught between a building and a piece of construction equipment in Bridgeville. The victim, a 59-year-old man from Bridgeton, N.J., was taken to Nanticoke Memorial Hospital in Seaford, where he was pronounced dead shortly after arrival, said Tedd Winneberger, Sussex paramedic spokesman. The man was working at the site of the new Woodbridge Middle School on Church Street about 3 p.m., Winneberger said. The worker was on a scissor lift on the roof when the lift suddenly moved, Bridgeville police Sgt. Chuck Manuszak said. "Somehow he hit the lever and got pinned," Manuszak said. The man suffered severe head trauma, Winneberger said. The victim's name was not released Tuesday because his family had not been contacted, police said. The man's body was turned over to the state Medical Examiner's Office for an autopsy, police said. Kevin Carson, superintendent of the Woodbridge School District, said he did not know which company the man worked for. Members of the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration will arrive today to investigate. The police investigation is continuing but no foul play is suspected, authorities said.
Gas Line Accident Forces School to Evacuate Dozens of people in South Sioux City have been evacuated after crews hit a gas line Wednesday morning. The city's water department says crews were trying to fix a water main break along 23rd and C streets when they accidentally hit a gas line. Everyone on the block, including a nearby school, was evacuated. MidAmerican Energy was on the scene to fix the leak. City leaders didn't know how long it will take to fix the problem, or how much it will cost.
Workers Hurt in Building Collapse At least two workers are being treated for injuries after a construction accident in Westmoreland County this afternoon. Some workers on the scene told KDKA that a steel beam collapsed at the Westmoreland intermodal facility, a building under construction in an industrial park off Route 119 in East Huntingdon Township. According to the workers, one man who was on top of the beam actually rode it about 25-feet down to the ground below. Another man was also injured, but it's unclear how he was hurt. The collapse reportedly caused nine beams to rip out of the concrete base. Other workers at the scene say the collapse came without warning. Now officials are trying to determine what caused the accident.
UPDATE, Safety violations cited in elevator fall By Warren Cornwall Seattle Times Eastside bureau State regulators say two companies broke safety rules in an accident that sent three construction workers in an elevator plunging 60 feet to the ground at a downtown Bellevue construction site. The state Department of Labor and Industries said yesterday it has cited the maker of the elevator and the workers' employer for several "serious" violations in the June accident, which left one man with a broken back, one with a broken pelvis and a third with two broken legs. Each company faces $3,900 in fines from the agency, which investigates workplace accidents. The early-morning accident happened as workers were mothballing the $360 million Lincoln Square development. The project's backers called a temporary halt to construction because of concerns about the region's economy. The three workers had ascended to near the top of a partly finished concrete structure destined to become one of two towers. They were in a small construction elevator that ran up a track attached to the side of the building. The accident happened after a part of the elevator went off the top of the track and derailed as it came back down, said Michael Wood, a senior manager for Labor & Industries' workplace safety program. If a safety device had been properly installed, he said, it could have prevented the derailment. The workers' employer, Northwest Tower Crane Services, didn't make sure its employees were trained to safely put up, dismantle, or operate the hoist, according to the Labor & Industries citation. The agency also alleges the company lacked an adequate accident-prevention program. Company officials did not return calls for comment yesterday. The state also alleges that the Houston-based elevator maker installed a safety mechanism backward. That company also was cited for not having a complete accident-prevention program. Jeff Dunbar, an attorney representing the manufacturer, declined to comment on the citations. "It's really not the company's policy or practice to comment on matters that are still under investigation," he said. The companies could appeal the citations. Richard Leider, project director of Lincoln Square for Lend Lease Real Estate Investments, the London-based company backing the towers, said he hadn't read the citations and couldn't comment on them. Lend Lease was not cited. The company is awaiting revised permits from the city before restarting work, Leider said. "We still remain committed to receiving those permits and recommencing construction as soon as we possibly can," he said.
Construction worker dies from accident By: News 14 Carolina CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is investigating a fatal construction accident that occurred Monday at 5th and Pine Streets in Charlotte. The victim, Javier Donjuan, was elevated in the bucket of a back hoe, trying to attach something outside a window when the bucket tipped pinning him to the side of the building. Donjuan was rushed to the hospital, where he later died.
Plumber Trapped When Walls Of Trench Collapse Firefighters Free 81-Year-Old Man OKLAHOMA CITY -- Joe Whitlock has worked with pipes and wrenches for 44 years, but his experience didn't prepare him for what he encountered on Monday. Whitlock, owner of Joe's Plumbing, was helping to repair a sewer line in south Oklahoma City when the walls of a trench in which he was standing collapsed. Whitlock, 81, was buried up to his waist as dirt clogged the trench. A co-worker driving a trackhoe carved a snaking trench from the back of a house to the edge of the yard. The trench was about as wide as a man's shoulders. Whitlock was partially inside the trench, using an extending tool to probe for the sewer line about 1:15 p.m. when the collapse happened. "His legs are tangled up, one behind the other one," said fire Maj. Brian Stanaland about two hours into the rescue. "We have a harness on him, but there's a void beneath him. ... The area is just so small it's hard to dig. It's about the size (width) of a manhole cover." Whitlock's feet were at the original bottom of the trench, about 10 feet below ground, Stanaland said. Shovels or garden trowels were too large to work, so rescuers used their bare hands to claw earth into a coffee can that was then raised above-ground and emptied over and over. Some of the firefighters, including those trained in trench rescues, worked in 15-minute shifts. Even Whitlock, his face covered by an oxygen mask, helped with the digging. "We wanted to keep him warm because there were obvious concerns about hypothermia," Stanaland said. Whitlock was freed just before 4 p.m. He refused to be carried to a waiting ambulance and walked over to paramedics instead. After hugging his wife and daughter, Whitlock was taken to the University of Oklahoma Medical Center for a checkup and observation.
Roof worker impaled on metal spikes A Shropshire teenager became impaled on two metal rods after plunging through the roof of a former dairy. Demolition worker Adam Waddington fell 15ft from a roof at the former Goodwin's Dairy site, Wrexham Road, Whitchurch, just before 3pm yesterday. He landed on two metal poles. The 19-year-old pulled one galvanised metal tube from his buttock while colleagues dialled 999. But it took firefighters 40 minutes to cut around the 10ft long bar which had gone completely through his right thigh. Ambulance crews transferred the victim to the North Staffordshire Infirmary by air ambulance on a spinal board specially adapted to fit around the severed pole. Mr Waddington was today described as stable and comfortable - he is believed to have undergone emergency surgery. Sub officer at Whitchurch Fire Station Mike Beach said the teenager had been conscious throughout the rescue and in extreme pain. "He was given painkilling drugs as we used hydraulic cutting equipment. He was a brave lad." Contractor coordinator Billy Pownall, for Heritage Demolishers Services, said he could not comment until health and safety inspectors had visited the site.
Five workers unharmed in gas explosion Norma Mendoza, Of the Intelligencer January 07, 2003 Five employees of RAL Painting and Drywall, Inc., had a narrow escape Friday when a liquid propane tank exploded in the basement of the house where they were installing dry wall. According to Glen Carbon police, the workers were using the propane gas to fuel a heater in the house under construction by Bertels Development Group on Wolf Creek Court in the Timberwolf subdivision. The workers had been in the house approximately an hour when someone heard the tank's release valve break and warned the others to get out of the house. All escaped without injury. "God was smiling on us," said Rich Ligman, owner of RAL. He said when the release valve gave way a piece of it shot off, alerting the workers to the escaping gas and giving them a chance to flee. The force of the explosion blew out the windows, frames and all, from the house and buckled the panels of the garage door. A spokesperson for Bertels said construction was about five weeks from completion. He said the explosion and the damage it caused probably pushed that date two or three weeks into the future. About 80 percent of the windows and doors blew out, he said. Early estimates place the amount of damage at $50,000. The Bertels spokesperson said they are working with engineers to assess whether there was any structural damage to the building that will also need to be fixed.
Trapped Construction Worker Dies Plymouth Twp., Pa. - January 3, 2003 — Lukens Steel in Plymouth Township was the scene of a deadly industrial accident Friday morning. Rescue crews were called out to the 9-hundred block of Conshohocken Road around 6:30 Friday morning for reports of a trapped construction worker. Officials were told it was a high angle rescue, which means the victim was not on the ground. Hours later, police confirmed that the victim did die in the accident. No other details are being offered.
Cave-in claims 1: Bluefield city worker killed in trench collapse By CHARLES OWENS of the Daily Telegraph staff January 04, 2003 BLUEFIELD - A city employee died Friday after being buried under several feet of dirt, mud and rock in a tragic construction accident on Rogers Street. The veteran employee of the Bluefield Sanitary Board was trapped in the trench collapse shortly af-ter 3 p.m. Doz-ens of rescue workers braved frigid temperatures and snow for more than four hours in the desperate rescue mission. "He was completely buried with a large amount of dirt, mud, water and very heavy pieces of concrete," Bluefield Rescue Squad Chief Robert Youther said. "It was a cave-in of the walls and the structural integrity of the ditch." It took rescue crews until 7:20 p.m. to remove the man's body from the site. Youther said the trench was 6 to 8 feet long and 2 to 3 feet wide, "It's just a sad day when a construction worker dies in an accident like this," Chandler Swope, president of Swope Construction Company of Bluefield, said. "It just breaks my heart when an accident like this happens, and I hope it will never happen to any of my people." outher said officials knew almost immediately that the man didn't survive the accident. The collapse occurred just above McDonald's on Bluefield Avenue, which prompted officials to order an evacuation and closure of the restaurant for safety reasons. The man's identity wasn't released late Friday pending a notification of next of kin. "We haven't found his wife yet, and we need to contact his next of kin," Bluefield Sanitary Board President Terry Honaker said. "We've already notified OSHA (the Occupational Safety and Health Administration)." Honaker said the crew was asked to repair a sewer line on Rogers Street damaged by a recent slide in the area. Honaker said he had just ordered the construction site closed prior to the accident. "I don't know at this point why he (the victim) went back into the ditch," Honaker said. "I just know we had made a decision to shut it down. We had already made up our minds about this, and we were going to go home for the weekend." Because the construction site was closed, a trench box- or device used to prevent the sides of a ditch from collapsing - wasn't immediately utilized at the time of the accident. Honaker said he didn't know why the man went back into the ditch. "For one reason or another, he stepped back in the ditch," Honaker said. "This crew is really close. It's been together for a long time." Honaker said the victim was a 16-year veteran of the Sanitary Board, and the backhoe operator was a 26-year veteran employee. He said a crew of four men were working on the sewer line at the time of the collapse. Swope said his crews responded to the accident as soon as they learned of the tragedy. "It's my understanding that the city Sanitary Board was relocating a broken sewer line below the McDonald's building," Swope said. "There was some type of problem in the ditch. I'm certain OSHA will come in and investigate very promptly." The Bluefield Rescue Squad, Bluefield Fire Department and Bluefield Police Department also assisted in the recovery. "A rescue of this type is extremely dangerous," Swope said. "The rescue workers have to be very cautious." Honaker said the OSHA investigators are expected to arrive at the site of the accident today.
UPDATE, State labor officials investigate death By STAFF REPORTS BEAUFORT — The state Department of Labor is investigating this week’s death of a man who fell while doing repair work at a Carteret County business. An employee with Anchor Roofing and Remodeling of Morehead City died following an accident Tuesday that occurred while he was doing work at Atlantic Veneer plant in Beaufort, said Juan Santos, a spokesman for the Department of Labor. Kenneth Jenkins, no age or address available, reportedly fell from a roof while doing repairs, said Capt. Franklin Fulcher of the Carteret County Sheriff’s Department. “He was finishing up a roofing job on one of Atlantic Veneer’s buildings, sealing the edge of the roof with caulk,” he said. Fulcher said Jenkins was working alone and an Atlantic Veneer worker coming back from lunch noticed him laying on the ground. Rescue workers were called to the scene and transported Jenkins to a local hospital. Jenkins died the following day, Fulcher said. Details about the accident are still being collected by the Labor Department, which had a representative at the scene of the accident on Friday, Santos said. Preliminary information reported to the North Carolina Labor Department did not indicate from what height Jenkins fell. Santos said it will likely take at least four to six weeks for the investigation to be completed.
Man falls from roof MICHAEL HOLTZMAN, Staff Writer December 31, 2002 BELLINGHAM -- A 42-year-old laborer was airlifted yesterday to the trauma center at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center, Worcester, after falling from a condominium rooftop, rescue workers said. The man, who was not identified, suffered "multiple system trauma" from the fall, said fire Lt. Steven Gentile. He said the man was a laborer for a construction crew expanding Maplebrook Condominiums on Maplebrook Road toward the Blackstone Street end of the site. The Fafard Companies in Ashland is the general contractor completing several buildings for the first phase of a condominium project started more than a decade ago, officials said. Fire officials received an emergency call at 3:48 p.m. and paramedics stabilized the man and transported him by ambulance to a nearby landing zone at Bellingham Middle School. He was transported to Worcester by a Life Flight helicopter at 4:31 p.m., Gentile said. "When we reached him he was lying on a 2-by-4 in a garage area of the construction site," he said. He said a language barrier inhibited rescue workers from obtaining full details of the accident, nor did Gentile know the man’s name. But to the best of Gentile’s knowledge, the laborer fell from the roof onto a wooden landing and rolled onto the concrete in the garage area. He thought the fall was about 10 feet but was uncertain of that information. Because he couldn’t walk, his co-workers placed him on the 2-by-4 to make it easier to transport him, Gentile said. He said the man was conscious, and the official could not say whether his injuries were life threatening. "That’s why we sent him to the trauma center," he said. Without his name, the man’s condition could not be obtained last night from hospital officials. Gentile said the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) had been notified about the accident. According to Deputy Fire Chief Thomas Guerin, there had been previously several less serious construction accidents at the construction site. He said about three buildings of the re-started projct had been completed and framing has been underway with several additional buildings.
2 workers killed, 5 others hurt as building collapses in Subic By Carrie T. Aspa, Correspondent SUBIC BAY FREEPORT — Two construction workers at the P360-million Tacoma Inc. fertilizer facility here were killed yesterday afternoon when the steel frame of the building they were working on suddenly collapsed after their co-workers had removed a supporting beam. Five other workers were injured during the incident, initial reports from the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority Law Enforcement department said. The fatalities were identified as Zaldy Orcales and Salvador Padalin in a report received at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City. Those injured were identified as Alex Arecela, Jing Argute, Ramil Orosco, an engineer Galang and Noel Gantan who sustained only minor injuries and was released from the James L. Gordon Hospital in Olongapo City where the victims were rushed. The accident happened at around 1:15 p.m. when workers tried to remove one of the trusses near the entrance of the building, causing the rest of the roofing frame to collapse. Workers who were doing welding jobs on the roof portion fell with the frame, witnesses told The Manila Times. “Most of them were able to jump away from the falling frame,” one worker recounted. “But those who were doing the welding were clipped by safety belts to the steel frames, and they were not able to jump.” “It was all over suddenly,” another worker said. “We still are not sure of how everything happened. The crane was pulling one of the beams, and there was a strong wind, and then like a domino, everything collapsed.” The victims were all employed by the Federico So Construction Co. engaged by Tacoma to build its facility at Boton-Boton, Cubi Point here. SBMA authorities immediately stopped the construction pending the results of an investigation into the cause of the incident and to determine if the construction company had followed the design specifications and procedures.
Slam! Pile driver topples onto building By Hillary Chabot / Journal Staff A $3 million pile driver crashed into a Columbia Street building Monday, narrowly missing a used auto parts dealer who watched the nightmarish accident only feet away. "I thought I was dreaming," said Ron Titelbaum about watching the machine fall. Titelbaum owns A.T.S. Used Jeep Parts in the back of the 495 Columbia St. building that was hit by a wayward pile driver. "Then I went running into the building just to make sure no one was hurt." According to city officials, no one was hurt during the accident, which left the pile driver tipped onto its side and a 4-foot hole in the roof and wall of the concrete auto parts building. Somerville Inspectional Services shut the power off and evacuated the building until the structural damage could be assessed, mayor's spokesman Bill Doncaster said. The reason for the crash is a mystery, according to David Apposian, owner of Union Place, a mixed-use development being built at the site that includes residential and office space. "We don't know why it happened yet," said Apposian. "I'm just grateful that no one was hurt." One construction worker at the scene said the pile driver was at too much of an angle. The visibly shaken worker said he had grabbed the operator of the pile driver out of the operating box after the machine fell. "I grabbed him and got him out of there," he said. "Then we took a body count." The team was working on a five-story parking lot for the Union Place project, Apposian said, and were building a foundation on the land. G. Donaldson Construction Co. Inc., the company working the pile driver, are sub-contractors of Hybrid Parking Solutions, the construction company building the parking lot. Gus DelFarno, operations manager for G. Donaldson, would not comment on the accident and refused to release details about the pile driver. Although Apposian said he did not know the value of the building damage, he said he will do everything in his power to reimburse Bob Souza, the owner of the main Columbia Street building that was hit. "This is a case of bad things happening to good people," Apposian said. "Souza is one of the best people in the world, and we'll pay whatever it takes to get things back to normal." As of Tuesday the pile driver had not been removed, which left Titelbaum - who had been putting a small mirror on his white pickup truck only 15 feet away from the crash when the accident occurred - without wheels. His truck is in the back driveway, trapped behind the massive machine. "I guess I'm going to have to look for another ride home," Titelbaum said at the site.
Fire Sparks Concerns By John T. Anderson TIMES RECORD The city may more closely monitor renovation of historic buildings in light of Thursday’s fire that took down two historic structures, a city employee said. The loss of two buildings along what is known as Produce Row is the latest fire to claim historic buildings in Fort Smith. Matt Jennings of the city Planning Department said preliminary reports from firefighters indicated the fire started while construction workers were using a cutting torch to remove old pipes. Apparently, insulation near the pipes ignited, Jennings said. “They believe it started in the basement,” Jennings said. He said old structures warrant increased precautions. The Eads Brothers Furniture Co. Building at 414 Garrison Ave. and The Josiah Foster Building at 222 Garrison Ave. were destroyed by fires following a tornado that struck Fort Smith in 1996. The tornado sparked a move to expand the city’s historic grid, which today more or less encompasses an elongated rectangle-shaped area running from just east of the Arkansas River along Garrison and Rogers avenues. The west end of that rectangle ends near Cisterna Plaza. Jennings said the city may need to watch over construction workers, especially when older structures are involved. “It hasn’t come up at this point,” Jennings said. “I wouldn’t doubt that there will be some conversations about that.” Thursday’s fire comes as the city seeks to revamp the dilapidated downtown area. The changes really began with the establishment of the amphitheater at River Park, located on the banks of the Arkansas River. Shops and restaurants have followed and more are planned. The Produce Row area is significant to Fort Smith historically because produce from area farms was graded and shipped from the structures, which are located near a network of railroad tracks and the Arkansas River.
UPDATE, Trench collapse fatality probed; Warm temperatures may have contributed to Highland cave-in By Mike Martindale / The Detroit News HIGHLAND TOWNSHIP -- A worker's death in a trench cave-in this week is under investigation by the state of Michigan and the Oakland County Sheriff's Department. William C. Amolsch, 43, of Novi was working in a 15-foot hole outside Aqua Marine Pools and Spa on Highland Road about 3:30 p.m. when the walls collapsed. "They had set one pipe in the ground and had just set the second one when he went down in the hole to unhook the chain from a backhoe," said Lt. Mike Sutton of the Sheriff's township substation. "He was bent over working on the pipe when there was a cave-in, and he was forced against a concrete pipe, buried to the waist." Sutton said co-workers and bystanders tried to dig Amolsch out, and the township fire department was called. Amolsch was pronounced dead at the scene. Amolsch's co-workers were interviewed by investigators, and a preliminary investigation indicated that Monday's warming temperatures may have contributed to the walls' collapse, Sutton said. An autopsy Tuesday by the Oakland County Medical Examiner found that Amolsch died from a blunt-force injury to his head. In January 2001, a man working on a sewer line in Huntington Woods died after being buried under 20 feet of dirt, just one month after a similar death in Detroit involving a Redford Township sewer worker. Two workers in Warren were injured that same month in yet another trench cave-in but survived. In 1999 four Michigan workers died in cave-ins, including a Wayne County death in which a company was charged for having workers inside an 11-foot-deep trench without the appropriate support walls. Lt. Sutton said Amolsch was married with four children, ages 7, 8, 17 and 18. "It's my understanding the family had no insurance, and contributions would be appreciated," said Sutton. Anyone wishing to contribute to the family can do so through the William Amolsch Fund c/o Fifth Third Bank, 411 Town Center Drive, Highland, MI 48356.
Construction workers hit natural gas line From staff reports Construction workers digging a trench behind Boonsboro Shopping Center punctured a gas line Wednesday morning, spreading natural gas fumes through the neighborhood. The Lynchburg Fire & EMS Department cordoned off the affected area behind the shopping center but didn't close traffic on adjacent Boonsboro Road. Two nearby stores were evacuated but most were allowed to stay open, including Food Lion. "We just told the workers not to go out back," said Anthony V. Smith, battalion chief of the Lynchburg Fire & EMS Department. "You don't really want someone stepping out for a cigarette." Natural gas rises into the atmosphere, Smith said, making it less dangerous than a propane gas leak. He said propane gas is heavier than air and stays low to the ground, increasing the odds for an explosion or fire. "Propane really scares me more than natural gas," Smith said. "Natural gas is lighter than air and it rises." Humidity prevented the natural gas from rising, though, so fire department workers remained on the scene, monitoring gas levels throughout the afternoon. Gas could be heard escaping from the pipe as Columbia Gas of Virginia workers fixed the leak. The leak was sealed at 2:30 p.m. The construction workers were doing sewage work for Forehand Inc. Property Management, which owns the shopping center. There were no injuries, Smith said. Phone calls to Columbia Gas of Virginia representatives were not returned.
Construction worker crushed by forklift at WalMart construction site in Montgomery By: Erika E. Durhan, Courier staff December 25, 2002 A construction worker was transported via LifeFlight to Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston Tuesday morning after being crushed by a forklift while at work on a local construction site. It was the second serious construction accident in Montgomery County within a week. t about 9:30 a.m. Tuesday emergency workers responded to a call from the Wal-Mart store under construction at Texas 105 and Walden Road. According to Mark Schwind of the Conroe Police Department, the unidentified man was crushed between a forklift and the ceiling of the building, causing him severe chest injuries. Apparently he was on the forklift while it was moving and it kept moving toward the ceiling," Schwind said. Brian Hurst, of the Montgomery Fire Department, said he did not know how severe the injuries were except that they "were enough to warrant LifeFlight." uperintendents at the construction site failed to comment about the details of the incident or the man's identity. ther agencies involved also would not release the man's name. uesday morning's incident is the second severe work related injury to occur in the county within the last week. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is currently investigating the death of a man who fell Friday through the roof of a medical facility under construction at 1501 the Riverpointe Drive.
Construction worker killed in fall; 5 men in crew were building new water tower BY WILL BUSS SMITHTON - A man fell to his death Tuesday afternoon as he worked a new water tower. Police didn't release the man's name Tuesday. Chief Brian Vielweber said the man was one of five working on the new water tower more than 100 feet above the ground at Village Park off Memorial Drive. He fell inside the tower about 1 p.m. "Apparently what happened is he slipped and landed inside the water tower," Vielweber said. Smithton Fire Chief Dan Arras said the Fire Department was initially called at 1:03 p.m. Arras described the man as being in his mid-30s. Arras said he believes the man died instantly. "When we got there, they were performing CPR on him," Arras said. "We could never get a pulse on him." Vielweber said the crew had been building the new tower for the past two months. He said the men were contracted from Chicago Bridge & Iron Co., a global engineering and construction company. The St. Clair County coroner's office is investigating the accident, and Vielweber said the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration also has been contacted.
6 workers injured as brick wall falls CP Monday, December 23, 2002 Six construction workers were injured yesterday in Rosemont - three of them severely - after a platform supporting them collapsed, causing a brick wall to topple onto them. The most severely injured workers required treatment for internal injuries, spinal injuries and head trauma, emergency workers said. All were brought to a hospital. One worker was reported to be fighting for his life last night. The accident happened as the tradesmen were working on the three-storey brick wall of a building at Masson St. and 18th Ave. The platform beneath them collapsed and brought the wall down, crushing several workers. Alain Champagne was passing by when the scaffolding went down. "I saw a big cloud (of dust)," he said. "When I saw that, I called 911 and ran over. "I saw the injured men. There were people there helping them to get out from under the bricks. I think there were at least five and two had gotten out. There was one who had a bad head injury and he was being comforted. They put a blanket on him." Fire department crews and investigators from the provincial workplace health and safety board have not yet determined the cause of the collapse. They poked at the rubble where the scaffolding lay twisted among the piles of scattered bricks. A large white tarpaulin flapped off the top of the building as emergency crews milled around.
Worker Survives 30-Foot Fall From Elementary School Roof; Roofer Fell From New Souderton School December 24, 2002 A roofer was injured Tuesday when he fell 30 feet from the roof of the new Vernfield Elementary School in Franconia, Pa., in Montgomery County. Randy Crocker, 39, of Catasauqua was flown to Lehigh Valley Medical Center after he fell from a two-story section of the Souderton Area School District's new building shortly after 9:30 a.m. A hospital official says his condition was upgraded from critical to satisfactory Tuesday night. Franconia police Officer Dave Klepfer says Crocker, an employee of Allan Kunsman Roofing and Siding of Freesburg, was conscious after the fall. He apparently misstepped while on the roof of the building, which is slated for completion in the spring.
Plunge kills worker at waterfront tower; Probe looks at safety at Goldman Sachs site Tuesday, December 24, 2002 By Michaelangelo Conte Journal staff writer An elevator worker fell 21 stories to his death yesterday morning while working on the giant Goldman Sachs building under construction on the Jersey City waterfront, officials said. The death prompted a major investigation that included federal agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms because of other "incidents" at a nearby high-rise being built by the same company, officials said. But Hudson County Prosecutor Edward DeFazio said yesterday that according to a preliminary investigation, the death of Daniel McQuillen, 41, of Staten Island, may have been accidental. At 8:27 a.m., McQuillen, a foreman for the Otis Company, was working on the roof of an elevator car installing a cable when the car gave way and plummeted from about half the height of the 876-foot-tall building, according to police reports. McQuillen's fall ended 10 feet above the floor of the building's main level. The first officer on the scene climbed onto the elevator platform and found three of McQuillen's co-workers standing arund his body, and McQuillen had no pulse and was not breathing, reports said. The report said McQuillen was wearing no safety harness. Officers of the Hudson County Prosecutors Office's Homicide Unit, investigators from the federal Occupational Health and Safety Administration and the Jersey City Police Department, as well as a doctor from the state Regional Medical Examiner's Office, all went to the scene, DeFazio said. The doctor pronounced McQuillen dead at 10:32 a.m., reports said. The Goldman Sachs building and the twin 30-story Liberty View towers, located at Hudson and Essex streets, are both being built by Turner Construction company. DeFazio said incidents, including two fires and a bombing at Liberty View, prompted police to take a close look at yesterday's incident to rule out foul play. In July, Jeff Hays, 25, of Pennsylvania, a laborer at the Liberty View project, was charged with detonating a bomb in an elevator shaft there in July, officials said. No one was injured in the blast, but about 40 construction workers were evacuated, officials said. According to police reports, investigators found a second explosive with potential to emit shrapnel. In June, a massive fire broke out on the 29th floor of Liberty View's west tower, and officials are investigating that blaze as a possible act of arson. The week before the bombing, a broom had been set on fire in the east tower, officials said. DeFazio said OSHA is investigating McQuillen's death. Tara Novembre, assistant area director for OSHA, said OSHA investigators remained at the Goldman Sachs building yesterday afternoon and had not yet written a report on the death.
UPDATE, Man who died in bid to save friend honored as hero; Victor Mills jumped to aid man who had passed out in manhole 2002-12-26 by Nora Doyle Journal Reporter There was no other option for Victor Mills on an August day last year. When he saw his friend suffocating in a manhole at the construction site where they were working, Mills had to do something. Mills died trying to save him. ``He was the type of kid that knows right is right, and wrong is wrong,'' said his father, Mel Mills. ``When that situation came up, he just did it. He knew he had to try and save his friend. That's the kind of kid he was.'' His friend, Jason Moore, survived. Mills, 34 at the time of his death, was recently named by the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission as a recipient of the Carnegie Medal. The medal is given to people who risked their lives to an extraordinary degree while saving or attempting to save the lives of others. Mills was one of three of this year's recipients who died in the performance of an heroic act. ``I was very proud. He very well deserved it for what he did,'' said Mills' mother, Sharon Brehmer. Victor Mills was one of four people working on an excavation project at a construction site in Newcastle on Aug. 29. Moore had begun to act strangely after climbing into a manhole on the site, probably from a lack of oxygen inside, said a Bellevue Fire Department spokesman right after the accident. Mills jumped in to help Moore, but fell 20 feet headfirst. After a few minutes, Moore regained consciousness and climbed out, but Mills was declared dead at the scene. Mills was raised in Auburn and attended Auburn High School, where he was a good student and played soccer, his parents said. Later living in Enumclaw, Mills and Moore became friends. It was Moore who encouraged Mills to take a job with Robinson Construction Inc. ``They were a team,'' Mills' mother said. They worked together about seven weeks before Mills' death. Mills was one of four children, the last and the smallest of the group. But, at 6 feet 2 inches tall and 212 pounds, he grew up to be the biggest, his mother said with a smile. Mills was fun and well-liked, and he followed his parents' advice to become indispensable to his employer, working nights and weekends, and learning to operate every piece of machinery, said Mel Mills. ``I'm honored that he's getting this award,'' he said. One hundred and eight people were awarded the Carnegie Medal in 2002. Each winner or their survivors receive a $3,500 grant.
UPDATE, Feds probe worker's death at railyard; OSHA seizes firm's records as Railway's safety comes under increasing scrutiny Thursday, December 26, 2002 By MICHAEL WAGNER STATEN ISLAND ADVANCE The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration has seized safety records from the Sunnyside-based construction company whose employee was killed last week as he worked on Staten Island Railway property. Safety records for a period of a year and a half were taken from the M. Ferrante Construction Co., a subcontractor working under Granite Halmar of Ossining, N.Y. Both companies were contracted by New York City Transit to install a $100 million signal upgrade on the Railway, a four-year project that has come under fire for being too ambitious and unnecessary on a two-track, enclosed, 14-mile passenger railroad. The move indicates a possible widening of the probe. OSHA authorities were unavailable for comment due to the Christmas holiday. Mensur Capa, 41, of Willowbrook was killed Thursday when the boom lift he was operating toppled over, crushing him under its heavy arm. After the incident, the city Buildings Department issued Ferrante a violation for "unsafe construction practices." In March, the firm was fined $46,800 by OSHA for eight previous violations. That fine was later reduced to $16,770 after a settlement was reached. Michael Ferrante, the firm's owner, did not return phone calls for comment. The news of the seizure came as rumors began circulating that Capa was not a union member. Marissa Baldeo, a Transit spokeswoman, disputed those rumors, noting the company is a union shop. However, the agency does not require its contractors to hire only union workers, she said. "We do require them to pay the union rate, though," she added. It is also still unclear if Capa was licensed to operate the machine. A Buildings Department spokeswoman said a permit was not required, but construction industry experts say OSHA mandates that all boom lift operators be licensed and properly trained. "There is a minimum training required, and you have to have the [certification] card in your pocket. It's a federal law," said R last night odney Mason, a construction safety coordinator in Ohio. "It's not something they can supersede." The equipment Capa was operating is called a "Pettibone" [for the company that makes it] all-terrain lift. The truck-like machine has four tractor-trailer-sized tires and a crane-like boom arm, which extends out in front of the vehicle. Capa was working on the building that once housed the Railway's substation. The structure is being converted into a new train dispatch and control center. The project -- which also includes new electrifying track switches and fiber-optic installations along the tracks -- is now moving into its third year. In what Transit officials are calling an unrelated move, Michael Downer, project manager on the signal upgrade, was moved to a new project the day before Capa's death. Criticism of the Railway's safety record is mounting. Earlier this month, a young woman's foot was caught in the door of a train as it left a station, dragging the 19-year-old for several feet. Railway employees have also questioned whether safety regulations are being followed by the contractors who work along the tracks. Michael Wagner covers transportation issues for the Advance. He may be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
UPDATE, No foul play seen in elevator mechanic's fatal plunge Friday, December 27, 2002 By Michaelangelo Conte Journal staff writer Investigators now say the death of an elevator mechanic who fell down an elevator shaft in Jersey City on Monday was probably an accident and unrelated to suspicious incidents over the summer at a nearby construction site. Otis Elevator Co. mechanic Daniel McQuillen, 41, of Staten Island, was originally believed to have fallen 21 stories while working in the 40-story Goldman Sachs building under construction on the Jersey City waterfront. But Hudson County Prosecutor Edward DeFazio said yesterday that investigators determined he fell from about six stories. "As of this time, our investigation leads us to believe that there was no foul play involved in McQuillen's death and that it was a tragic accident," said DeFazio yesterday. However, DeFazio said the case is still under investigation by the Occupational Health and Safety Administration. The Goldman Sachs building is located at 30 Montgomery St. After McQuillen's fall Monday morning, investigators launched a massive investigation to rule out foul play. Over the summer, a construction site at the 30-story Liberty View towers, located at Hudson and Essex streets, suffered several suspicious incidents, including a bombing and two fires. Fire officials said one of the fires was arson. Both the Goldman Sachs high-rise and the Liberty View residential buildings, only blocks apart, are being built by the Turner Construction Co. DeFazio said McQuillen was standing on top of an elevator between the sixth and seventh floors, attaching a temporary cable to elevator, when the elevator suddenly plummeted. DeFazio said it appears the cable or clips McQuillen was using "gave way." Because McQuillen was working on an elevator that operates between the first and 23rd floors of the building, investigators originally thought he had fallen the entire distance. The state Regional Medical Examiners Office in Newark said McQuillen died of "impact trauma" to the torso, resulting in severe internal bleeding, said DeFazio. The first officer on the scene reported that McQuillen wasn't wearing a safety harness, but yesterday an OSHA spokesman said he could not comment on whether that was true. The OSHA spokesman said investigators could not interview construction workers yesterday because of the snowstorm. McQuillen was a second-generation elevator worker; his father and brother both worked in the field. He has three children, sons Daniel Jr., 10, Michael, 8, and daughter Casey, 6. His wife, Ann Marie McQuillen, spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with her children at her sister's home. "I don't think my two little ones realize what happened," she told reporters "I don't think it's really hit them yet." Although Daniel McQuillen had been on the job 21 years, the risky work still troubled his wife. "He's taken us there to show us where he worked," she said in a Christmas Day interview. "I was never too interested because I knew it was dangerous. Every day, I told him to be careful."
UPDATE, Injured Nevada highway workers slowly recover ASSOCIATED PRESS 12/27/2002 ELKO - Four Nevada Department of Transportation workers seriously injured when a car plowed through a construction zone on Interstate 80 are slowly recovering. But the agency said all have a long way to go. The crew was repairing a guardrail Nov. 27 about 25 miles east of Battle Mountain when a car slammed into a heavy equipment loader. The driver of the car died instantly. The loader spun around, striking three workers who were standing nearby. The legs of two workers were partially amputated. Mike Anderson, 38, lost a portion of his left leg and will be fitted with a prosthesis in the near future, NDOT said. Steve Werner, 47, remains hospitalized. He suffered the partial loss of a leg as well as head injuries, but officials said his is making steady progress. Patty Griffith, 41, suffered broken ribs and a fractured knee and may require further surgery, and 44-year-old David Dyer, who was operating the loader, suffered back and head injuries and is receiving physical therapy. All four workers are from the Elko area. Co-workers set up an account to help the families with incidental expenses during their long recoveries, and so far nearly $8,000 has been donated and distributed to the workers, the agency said.
Workers dig up triple trouble; Phone, gas, water lines broken in day of errors By MARDEE ROBERTS The Leaf-Chronicle A trio of errors resulted in the intersection of Madison and 10th streets being blocked to traffic for hours Thursday while gas, water and telephone crews worked to fix a cascading set of problems. Clarksville Gas and Water Department and BellSouth workers faced the triple threat of a leaking gas main, a broken water main and a severed telephone fiber optic cable that serves businesses along Madison Street and Memorial Drive. Utility officials on the scene Thursday afternoon were still trying to sort out what happened. Initial reports indicated a Murfreesboro company installing a new traffic signal pole for the city hit the fiber cable in front of Kiddieland with an auger sometime before noon. Jeffrey Reed, foreman for S&W Contractors, said when BellSouth employees arrived, his crews moved across the street toward the front of a car wash to continue their work. "Then we hit the water line," Reed said. "It wasn't marked." Complicating matters, all the Gas and Water service telephone lines were out because of the fiber optic problem. Employees had to work out a communications plan, including using cellular phones to dispatch water crews to fix the leak. Meanwhile, BellSouth brought in a contractor to dig around the cable break, and the contractor may have hit a gas line. "It's possible. We had a contractor digging a hole for us and then we started smelling gas," said Pat Hooper, a BellSouth network manager. Firefighters and police blocked Madison and 10th streets while gas crews worked to stop the leak. Traffic was rerouted down Greenwood Avenue and down Commerce and 11th streets. Clarksville Fire Rescue Assistant Chief David Clinard said officials could smell a strong odor of natural gas when they arrived. Also, rerouting traffic and blocking the road is department protocol whenever natural gas leaks are present, Clinard said. The fiber cable problems knocked out phone lines and checkout debit card readers to some businesses on Madison Street. Crews hoped to have the problems fixed Thursday night, but were still on the scene with the road blocked at 11 p.m.
Worker drowns, 2 hurt as construction ditch caves in By Essam Al-Ghalib, Arab News Staff JEDDAH, 29 December 2002 An expatriate worker was killed in an accident at a construction site in the Al-Ruwais district of Jeddah yesterday evening. Shukun Mia, a 28-year-old Bangladeshi, was pumping water out of a ditch in this working class residential area with two others when its sides collapsed, burying them all. While two of the victims were able to keep their heads above the three-feet-deep water, Mia became completely submerged and remained stuck underneath a landslide of mud and rocks. The sewage project on which the three workers were engaged is being undertaken by the Bin Samar Construction Company. Civil Defense personnel quickly arrived on the scene to free the two men who survived the accident, and they were transported to King Fahd Hospital with minor injuries. However, it took rescuers one and a half hours to remove the dead man's body using heavy lifting equipment. Rescue efforts were complicated by a continuous flow of water into the ditch. Majid Abdullah Al-Ghamdi, a civil defense officer, was lowered into the ditch and used his hands to remove the rocks that were on top of the victim. He then tied a rope under the dead man's shoulders, and a crane was used to lift the victim's body out. Almaz Hussein, a co-worker of the dead man, told Arab News at the scene: When the ditch collapsed, we tried to get the men out. We were able to keep the heads of the two workers above water until the rescuers arrived. But we could not get Shukun out. He struggled to free himself for almost two minutes, but then lost consciousness. Mia has been a construction worker in the Kingdom for five years, and had just returned from vacation after visiting his family in Bangladesh. Over 300 people gathered to watch the rescue efforts and extra police personnel were called in to control the crowd. There was a danger of further landslide conditions being created by the crowd trying to peer into the ditch to watch the rescue efforts. Police officers used wooden sticks and threw stones to keep the crowd back. Police took in five people, including the project manager and an engineer, for questioning. There are more than a million Third World immigrants in the Kingdom who work in the construction industry, and they earn as little as SR150 a month. Safety standards on construction sites are often poorly enforced.
Local Father Dies In Construction Accident; Crews Were Repairing Parking Lot December 31, 2002 HIGHLAND TOWNSHIP, Mich.-- A local father was reportedly killed in a construction accident in Highland Township Monday afternoon. Construction crews were repairing the parking lot in front of Aquamarine Fiberglass Pools on West Highland Road, according to the Oakland County Sheriff's Department. As workers placed cement pipes into a large hole, witnesses said that the 43-year-old victim jumped into the hole. The pit then collapsed, according to the Sheriff's Department. The worker was then reportedly crushed by one of the mammoth pipes. ther workers reportedly jumped in to save the man, but it was too late. The man was pronounced dead at Huron Valley Hospital, the station reported. The Sheriff's Department is coordinating a fund to help the family get through the tragedy, Local 4 reported.
Gas line break cuts service to Mannford 2002-12-31 By The Associated Press MANNFORD -- Hundreds of households and businesses in Mannford will likely be without natural gas service until Wednesday after a construction crew broke the town's supply line, the city manager said. The crew digging for a new activity center in the town about 15 miles east of Tulsa snapped the 4-inch line about 7:30 a.m. Tuesday, city manager Jim Whitlock said. About 500 to 600 households and businesses will not have natural gas, which they use for heat and cooking, until Wednesday afternoon, Whitlock said. Workers are repairing the line, he said. "We regret it happened, and obviously we have had a lot of calls, some understanding and some not so understanding," Whitlock said. "We're doing what we can to fix it, but its an unavoidable construction accident." The city is the natural gas provider for the 2,600 residents who live in the Creek County town, buying gas from Oklahoma Gas and Electric and distributing to its roughly 800 to 900 households and businesses. Whitlock said the natural gas line is typically buried 4-feet under the ground but was only about 2 1/2-feet below at the construction site because of shallow dirt over a bed of rock.
Worker critically injured in fall at construction site Sunday, December 22, 2002 CLIFTON - A construction worker was critically injured Saturday morning after falling three stories from a Colfax Avenue town house he was helping to build, police said. The man, whose name was not released, was walking along a wooden plank when it broke around 10:30 a.m. at the Cambridge Crossings condominium complex, police said. He fell, hitting his head on the ground. The man was taken to St. Joseph's Regional Medical Center in Paterson, where he was in critical condition hours after the incident, police said. Workers for Town & Country Developers - the Woodcliff Lake company that is building the complex - would not comment. Several hundred town houses are being constructed on the 42-acre former Shulton Industries site. - Scott Fallon
UPDATE, Firm to pay £21,000 after worker's fall Dec 23 2002 By Jane Yelland, The Huddersfield Daily Examiner A TEXTILE firm has been ordered to pay more than £21,000 in fines, compensation and costs after a worker fell 25ft through a roof. David Wilson suffered a fractured skull and other injuries after falling while carrying out roof repairs. Managing director Stephen Moorhouse and finance director David Midgley pleaded guilty to failing to ensure the health and safety of employees at Stork Brothers, Bay Hall Mills, Bay Hall Common Road, Birkby. Huddersfield magistrates fined the firm £15,000, and ordered it to pay £5,000 compensation to Mr Wilson and court costs of £1,272. Sarah Lee, prosecuting for the Health and Safety Executive, said Howard Heap, chief maintenance engineer at Stork Brothers, had told Mr Wilson and Rex Earnshaw to clean the guttering before the summer break in July. They were told to use a ladder on one side of the building and gain access through a window on the other side. Ms Lee said the accident happened at lunchtime, when Mr Wilson crossed the roof to climb down the ladder. As he went across the roof he fell through a skylight and crashed 25ft to the floor. He suffered a fractured skull, bruising and a dislocated finger. Ms Lee said the firm had a full-time health and safety officer who did risk assessments on jobs, but had not performed one on cleaning the guttering. She added that there was copious information produced by the Health and Safety Executive on the dangers of working at heights. And Stork Brothers had failed to provide a safe platform for people working on a fragile roof, added Ms Lee. Mr Chris Foulkes, for Stork Brothers, said the firm employed 85 people and had been in business since 1863. He said the firm took health and safety very seriously. They had ordered a full review of all working procedures since the accident and had pleaded guilty at the first opportunity. He said the health and safety officer had attended courses to improve her knowledge of the relevant issues. Mr Foulkes said the accident had occurred through an oversight and not as a result of money-saving. He said Mr Wilson was an experienced employee who had worked for the firm for 15 years. He had been told not to cross the roof and to use the window and ladder for access. He was also back at work after three weeks, said Mr Foulkes.
Montreal construction workers hurt in collapse CTV News Staff Six Montreal construction workers are in hospital after a platform supporting them collapsed Sunday. Three of the men have life-threatening injuries. The scaffolding collapsed as the men worked on a three-storey building's exterior brick wall, which appeared to have cracked, fire department officials said. Witnesses said it appeared that the brick wall, being demolished by workers, fell into the scaffolding, causing the platform to collapse. Alain Champagne was passing by when the scaffolding went down. "I saw a big cloud (of dust)," he told Canadian Press. "When I saw that, I called 911 and ran over." All six workers were conscious when emergency crews arrived on the scene, and no one was buried under the rubble. Most were presenting head and internal injuries, according to CFCF News. Fire department crews and Workers' Health and Safety Commission investigators had not immediately determined the cause of the collapse.
